Life in Press
by ascho
Summary: Jun Kazama & Kazuya Mishima, two very different individuals. Fighting for different causes, motivated by opposing forces. What happens when they collide? Something none of them could have imagined, a different need. It leaves them broken to pieces, changing the very core of their being. They emerge from the chaos, changed and different from what they could have imagined.
1. Chapter 1 The Beginning

AN:  
This is another angle I thought would be fun to explore, it might not be as serious as my other fic, but i wanted to try something light hearted though be warned it might get serious! I wrote it a long time ago, so it is filled with a different mood and atmosphere, and my pathetic attempts to be funny!

Chapter 1; The beginning. 

It all started in the beginning of the tournament, when Kazuya had announced the tournament to begin. The press was their taking pictures and writing and filming everyone wanted to know everything. They pulled the competitors aside, one at the time to know a little about them. It was a tense day with press and everything.

And when Kazuya Mishima arrived the press moved like a wave, while the press asked fast for questions and the photographers clicked away with there photo cameras.

"As you know I have announced The King Of Iron Fist 2. And today I officially state it open. Your schedules will be delivered to your hotel rooms, so you can see whom your challenger is. And for the press the schedules will be listed for the present day, so you won't be able to see the fighting schedules two days ahead. And the opening ceremony before the tournament is tomorrow night. More information will be given, to the competitors. Also the press is welcome at the opening ceremony, and will also receive information in the right time. I hope you will enjoy your stay here in Tokyo. Thank you" he said and was about to go down, when a journalist began asking questions.

"Mr. Mishima is you father still alive?" She asked.

"I don't know, but if you see him say hello from me" Kazuya answered joking.

"How are you going to end this tournament, the last match I mean?" Another male journalist asked.

"What is your name?" Kazuya asked.

"Joe" he answered.

"From the states I presume"

"Then you would be presuming right"

"Right then, I cannot tell you as I am still looking for a place."

"What will you say to the accuses drawn against you about abuse of animals"

"All I can say is that…" Kazuya was about to speak when he got interrupted.

"Mr. Mishima will not be answering any further of your questions, as he has a tight schedule to keep. Any other time or day would have been great." His adopted brother Lee Chaolon stated.

"His so fake" a native woman from the states said.

"Excuse me" a Japanese woman said, who wanted to get past her.

"Oh sorry, are you from the press"

"No"

"Great, I would have been in trouble if they heard me. They would start to ask me questions. Anyways are you here for the tournament"

"Yes, what about you."

"Same here, my name is Michelle Chang by the way." Michelle said offering her hand to shake.

"Jun Kazama, nice to meet you" Jun said and accepted her hand and greeted her.

"Here for revenge."

"No, and nothing I can talk about"

"Most of them in here are here for revenge, power and others to stop him"

"He's not one of those persons, that is loved by the people."

"No, but the press does"

"You don't say"

"The newest headlines is, that Nina an assassin is after Kazuya to kill him of course, and her sister Anna is hired as his bodyguard" Michelle said taking a sip of her drink, trying to prevent herself from laughing. "Thats the most ridiculous story i've heard so far" she stated coldly.

"And I thought he could protect himself" Jun answered, wondering how he came about his day with those body guards.

"Sure, but not in public. He would be hitting a woman!" Michelle stated with a small smile on her lips.

"Yeah, the press is like sharks, they attack anyone." Jun stated after own experience.

"Have you been interviewed, yet" Michelle asked Jun curious, but Jun just looked at her blankly. "Then watch your back don't say something you don't want twisted, I mean it seriously."

"Thank you for your advice, but I can watch my back. Let's go and check in now"

"Sure,"

"Hi, we both would like to check in" Jun said to the receptionist.

"Yes of course, are the both of you here for the tournament."

"Yeah" Michelle said and stepped up.

"Okay, I can get you your own separate rooms or you can share one" the receptionist said after she had been into the computer database.

"You'll have each a separate room, one bathroom you'll have to share and a living room and a kitchen of course. That's if you want to share a room. You can also get rooms for yourselves. It's your decision" The receptionist said after she had been on their hotel database.

"What do you think Jun, we could share a room. Or have one each."

"What do you say about sharing" Jun said and smiled.

"I'd love to" Michelle answered Jun.

"Okay then book us up for the double room then."

"Okay and you are now booked for it, your number is 204 and you can get the piccolo to show you the room and carry your bag of course." The receptionist said giving them paper and the key card.

"Thanks, what are the papers for"

"Oh, they are for tomorrow where the ball will be and when, and other type of information on the tournament. You'll receive your schedules, on the morning after the ball."

"Thanks" Jun and Michelle answered.

"And if you want I can give you two card keys. So both of you can have one"

"Sure that would be good" Michelle said.

"Here you go" The receptionist said and gave it to Michelle. "Ken could you show them there way to room nr. 204"

"Yes of course, this way ladies" Ken said and shoved them the way.

AN: not the most interesting ending or chapter i'll admit, but i hope it will get better. Tell me what you think and I hope you'll be back for more!


	2. Chapter 2 Awkward elevator talk

AN: Hi to anyone reading just a quick note, i just wanted to thankyou 191026 for the first review to this story and Sal for the second, i hope you'll continue reading the story, and tell me what you think about the setting in tekken 2 afterwards ;) i'm trying to work on it.

I hope you enjoy and i know it isn't the best i've written for this story, believe me better things are coming :) But do leave some constructive critique!

Chapter 2; awkward elevator talk. 

Jun heard sounds from the living room. She stood up and saw the clock was 12;30, she had been sleeping over. Jun and Michelle had been out, and got to know one and other better, while they tried to run away from the press.

After rubbing her forhead Jun stood up and walked out to the living room.

"I see you are up now," Michelle said who was watching television.

"Yeah, when did you get up?"

"One hour before you"

"Oh, I'm going to take a shower. I'm really sweaty" Jun said and started to walk over to the bathroom.

"Alright I'll fix breakfast then"

"I'll help you when I get out"

"I meant room service or we have to go down"

"I meant the same, I would help you order" Jun yelled from the bathroom laughing.

15 minutes later.

"Ah… I feel so fresh" Jun said stretching out.

"Then have a look at this, I don't understand Japanese but I think I understand that" Michelle said pointing at the T.V.

"Oh god" Jun said when she saw the T.V. "And you said they didn't get any pictures of us"

"I said I think they don't got any" Michelle said laughing at the pictures the press had of them.

"Great it will probably be on the front covers of the magazines"

"I think they pre-reserved for the famous Mishima" Michelle said laughing.

"Yeah I didn't think about that" Jun said laughing even more.

"Come on we got to go down for breakfast"

"Okay but I think you'll have to change from your sleeping wear"

"Yeah good idea I'll see in a sec, what about you"

"Yeah maybe I should change too " Jun said tuning the T.V higher as she went to her bedroom.

"_And now news on the competitors from the king of iron fist. They are having some trouble with Paul Phoenix, who directly wants to challenge Kazuya Mishima without having battled with anyone else. He was practically going to attack Mr. Mishima just for a fight._

_Many of the competitors are enjoying themselves here in Tokyo centre like these two on the picture Miss Kazama with Miss Chang, they were late out, clubbing and enjoying themselves. They were though meeting up with several men. Maybe they are plotting against the Mishima Head, with a demonstration._

_Or does Michelle Chang have someone here in Japan that she is seeing, all though she is Native American. _

_It is also heard that Nina Williams is assassinating for The Ziabatsu's head, and rumours goes that it is his adopted brother Lee Chalon who has ordered the assassination on the CEO._

_Some say that Heihachi Mishima former head of Mishima Zaibatsu, was seen in the outer skirts of Tokyo and then again in northern Tokyo. Will Mr. Mishima enter the tournament for revenge, and gain the zaibatsu back. Only time will show._

_I'm Keiko Suzuki, with information on the competitors."_

"Did you hear that?" Jun said running out of her room.

"Yeah, they would make up anything to get higher ratings!"

"You know, I'm wondering how much it's their own work and how much of it might be PR work"

"Promoting a contest where people beat the hell out of each other, I honestly don't see hoe it would help him" michelle spoke refering to Kazuya Mishima.

"While people are focused on the tournament and as you said "beating the hell out of each other" he could get more serious buisness done. Think about it"

"you know, you might be right" michelle said stopping to think "But I don't want to think about it right now. Right now I just want something to eat" she said as her stomach protested with her.

"lets go then" Jun said grabbing her bag.

"you don't need that" michelle stated "we're just going downstairs"

"I was thinking of a big brunch and shopping"

"you know what that does sound good" michelle said getting her bag before she locked the door.

When the elevator doors opened they saw that it already was occupied, by two male competitors. Michelle in a very talkative mood, wasn't too late to introduce herself to the men. Jun looked awkwardly at the two men, but eventually thought presenting herself would be for the best.

"Hi, I'm jun" she greeted them both and stood quietly watching michelle making lively conversation with one of them.

"I'm lei wulong" one of them introduced himself. "so why are you here?"

"To participate obviously," Jun stated rather coldly "I'm sorry, I just don't want to discuss it"

"all right, so what do you work with, unless that's a secret too?" he asked her again, his curiousity getting out of control.

Jun reflected over his request and finally answered "I work for a wildlife protection organization"

"same buisness then!" lei claimed

"how is that?" Jun asked him getting interested in the conversation.

"I'm a cop, I protect human reights"

"yeah, except from you have a badge and a gun, and I'm pretty much unarmed" Jun joked.

"that's actually only small differences, when you think about it" lei was about to continue the conversation when he wasinterrupted by the a ding. The elevator stopped and she looked at him.

"nice to meet you mr. wu-long" she said shaking his hand

"nice to meet you to" he said seeing her leave the elevator "will you be there tonight?" he said stopping the elevator door from closing. Jun stopped in her footsteps and turned around she smiled and nodded to him

"I think you got a fan!" michelle exclaimed, noticing a little spark in his eyes.

"Don't be silly we barely know each other"


	3. Chapter 3 The dark night

AN: hello to anyone out there, i'm going to upload _2 chapters_ today, since i forgot to update a saturday.  
And thanks to 191026 for being observant and the good advices. I have actually read many fic's where the relationship moves very fast between jun and kazuya, so i'm trying to explore other opportunities by taking it slow!

I hope you enjoy reading and let me know what you think!

Chapter 3 - The dark night_

* * *

_

"Look at the press" Michelle said taking a look outside of the limousine.

"Yeah it really is a big deal" Jun said and looked out of the window.

"Ladies," the chauffer said who had opened the door, gesturing them to come out.

"Thanks" Michelle said as she stepped out.

"Miss Chang, Miss Chang" most of the photographs yelled after her.

"Miss Kazama you look dashing tonight" A male reporter said.

"Tell me are you on work?"

"No, not tonight, I'm sorry to dissapoint you" Jun replied slowly, knowing he was referring to the tournament.

"What about you Miss Chang, what is your motive for participating?" the reporter said eagerly, to get some gossip. Michelle loked up at him, not caring to give him an answer she walked through the door.

"They really know how to get on my nerve"Michelle said when they were inside.

"Keep a cold mind, and make them think you are playing their game"

"It's hard to do when all you can think of is punching them," Michelle said flaunting her obvious hatred for the press. Jun just nodded to her reply.

"Good evening ladies" Baek said when he spotted Michelle in the lobby. "Would you ladies care to join us tonight?".

Michelle looked at Jun for an answer, and Jun smiled to her. "Yes we'd love to"

The waiter seated them and served them champagne. Everywhere there either was competitors or sponsors. Juns eye searched the whole crowd, she didn't know what she was looking for. But she knew she would know when she saw it. When she looked around she recognized the most people from her work, but then she noticed something else. Someone was looking at her she couldn't see the person but feel it. When she looked around she knew who it was, it was Lee Chalon he rose his glass as a greeting. Jun then realized that getting up and greeting people was the best solution, to avoid him.

"Can I have your attention" people heard Kazuya say, "I would like to say welcome to the opening of the tournament, and congratulate the fighters that are participating. Further more I hope you enjoy yourself and if you get bored the liquor is free" Kazuya said laughing and the whole Ballroom sang of laughter. There crept a little smile on Jun's lips, she had never imagined hearing something like that from the CEO.

The room was all centered around the candelier, where he gave a quick speech. All candlelights and other lighting, gave the room a enigmatic atmosphere which drew people to the center, for a dance or two.

Jun greeted many people and shock their hands, she tried really hard to move away from Lee's eyes but it seemed impossible for her to do so. No matter where she went she could feel his eyes on her naked back. She was wearing a long black dress with a low cut in the back, which she was regretting to the fullest extent.

Jun moved around but the crowd always seemed to be around Kazuya, which didn't make her wonder so much over. Everyone was doing something either they were talking or dancing and enjoying themselves. For Jun it was just like another business conference.

"Hey Lei why are you just sitting, go and meet people" Jun said taking his hand and pushed him into the middle of a crowd, that she knew was from a police department. Then she began to talk to a group of people, which involved Kazuya.

"It's lovely to see you again Jun," a business associate said to her when he kissed her on her cheek and hugged her.

"It's nice to see that the business world rests in your hands, Takashi" Jun said and laughed and hugged him, as she would if it was her own father.

"Oh dear Jun, it doesn't only rest in my hands, but also in Kazuya Mishima's hands too. I do not believe you two have met, have you?" Both Jun and Kazuya nodded no.

"Well Jun this is Kazuya Mishima, the head behind Mishima zaibatsu, Kazuya this is Jun Kazama the best Wildlife protector in all of Japan" The man said introducing them both, they both smiled and shook hands.

"Kazuya why don't you keep the lovely miss Kazama accompanied, I have to talk with, where did he go, ah there he is. And don't let her wander!" he said and blinked to him. Jun and Kazuya looked helplessly at each other, and stared at the ceiling for a while. Kazuya took a sip of his champagne and gained courage.

"So… miss Kazama is it true that you are the best?" Kazuya said taking a zip of his champagne. "Just as true as you are the CEO of Mishima zaibatsu" Jun said raising her eyebrows. "I like business women with a sense of humour" Kazuya said smiling and Jun laughed at his remark "And may I say that you look lovely to night". "Thank you" Jun smiled and bowed for fun.

"So how long have you known Takashi?"

"Quite a while actually, since I headed for a carrier in wildlife protection."

"So he's responsible for you being here tonight?" he asked her.

"Actually, I like to think that I had something to do with it too" she answered him, she started to reflect on what kind of a person he was. She wondered why he would say something like that.

"Don't misunderstand me," Kazuya said in a hurry when he saw her eyes wander in the room "I'm sure that you are more then capable of taking care of yourself".

She finally looked at him and smiled, she smiled at his try to reinsure her.

"Are you here for buisness or…" Kazuya asked her, as he couldn't imagine her participate in the tournament.

"I'm actuallly participating in the tournament," she said taking a sip of her glas "It's for personal reasons" she said when she saw the surprise in his eyes.

"Oh… I didn't expect that you were participating" he said getting a little nervous, she was participating and her background as a wildlife protector… The combination was troublesome.

"Well miss Kazama, I'll have to leave you for now. I hope you enjoy the evening" he said and smiled and went his way, making his way into another crowd. She looked at his back as she saw him disapear into the crowd. She looked around herself and found herself all alone. She walked around for a while, making smalltalk with people. Along the evening she felt a lively breeze, creeping along the floor it made her shiver. She walked to where she thought the breeze came from, and she soon discovered the two big glass doors. They were standing wide open letting in the fresh evening wind, soon she felt the scent of flowers, trees and grass creep in with the breeze. When she looked at the sky she could see the moon hiding behind the skies. She walked out and saw other figures standing on the porch, she sat down on one of the benches. She sat in peace breathing and taking the scents of the garden into her. She filled herself with what seemed like nature in the middle of the city. The music rung in the background, and the natures sound drowned in the laughter and voices that came from people. Jun got up and walking around in the grounds, she felt the sounds and noices leave her mind and drown. She walked around enjoying herself, it was only her and her mind, she could finally again hear her own thoughts.

Jun walked aorund without paying any attention, and when she turned a corner in the garden she was shocked. She saw Kazuya speaking to someone, when the figure discovered her, he whispered something which made Kazuya look up quickly. He saw her and made eye contact, he was surprised that she was walking around in the garden.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt, I'll leave right a way" she said and turned on her heels to walk away. Jun walked back mortified, and more aware about her surroundings to avoid any other incident. When she got eye on a bench she sat down and swalloed the rest of her drink in one gulp. She leaned back and looked up into the skies. She saw the light from the moon break and dance on the clouds, which were rare tonight. When her eyes had adjusted she started to notice the stars, she was so focused that she didn't even see a figure walking towards her.

"Can I sit here?" the voice asked her. When Jun finally tore her eyes away from the sky, she discovered it was Kazuya.

"I'm truly sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," she said again apologizing.

"There isn't a need to apologize, I was just talking to a friend. I guess that means I can sit down" he said looking at her. Jun returned to starring at the sky, when he had sat down. He kept staring at her, until he finally spoke.

"What are you doing in the garden?"

"I couldn't hear my own thoughts, and I was getting a headache" she said breathing heavily in, she filled her lungs to their limit and blurted the air out.

"I know how that feels like, I've had that headache since I moved here" he said emptying his glass, with a small smile on his lips.

"Very funny" Jun answered when she saw his smile "Won't they miss you inside" jus asked him nodding towards the building.

"They'll do just fine, until they want me to sign papers hoping I'm drunk and stupid enough to sign any" he said, again with a strange grin Jun noticed.

"Then it would probably be best if you stayed out here" Jun offered him without thinking twice.

Jun retired to the hotel before anyone else, she walked through the hall with her mind bursting with thoughts. She couldn't carry the weight of her head, and so she found her door room and the keys with her head bent heavily down. When her head finally hit the pillow, her thoughts centered around one person. And that person was the last she wanted to think about, considering the meeting she would have with him when tomorrow came.


	4. Chapter 4 The rumours

Chapter 4 - The Rumours.

Jun walked down the streets in Tokyo, in one hand she had tea and a newspaper. She wanted to go down to the park she needed some rest from the past two days. The two past days had been filled with people, and she needed some space of her own, and the garden from last night only made the yearning more clear. She wasn't ungrateful for the persons she had in her life, or the new ones she met. But what she needed was some space of her own. Where she could drift away in her own thoughts. She smiled over the thought that Baek and Michelle had spent most of their time together.

As she walked down the street people looked at her, and whispered to each other. She hadn't seen the newspaper yet but she knew that it had something to do with the tournament. When Jun entered the park she felt a great relief, she inhaled the air deeply, which was filled with the trees' essence.

Jun found her usual spot and sat down. She laid the paper in front of her and her tea. She laid her laptop at the side, and a book on the other side. She started with the newspaper since she wanted to know what was going on. She was shocked when she saw the Front Page, there was a picture of her and Kazuya. Jun ran through the paper to find the section were they had posted more.

"_A simple dance or is it pleasure?_

At the opening ball to the king of the iron fist, many contestants were enjoying themselves. Some laughing, some were talking and some were dancing. This couple I might add, enjoyed themselves, Kazuya Mishima and Jun Kazama. They were laughing, talking and dancing. Rumours have it that Kazuya Mishima for a long time has had his eyes set on the beautiful contestant…"

Jun stopped reading the article any further she didn't care what they wrote but it bothered her. Jun started her laptop, and took a sip of her tea. She breathed heavily in as some birds gathered near her, she threw them some bread and proceded to her work. She checked the newspaper online and her mailbox, and lucky her, her boss had left her a mail. A man was jogging by, when he saw Jun he ran back.

"Good morning, Miss Kazama" Jun heard a male voice greet her, she looked up surprised and smiled.

"Good morning to you too mr. Mishima, I don't think we have to be so prescribed anymore." Jun said and smiled as he stood infront of her.

"I see you found a good tree," Kazuya said touching the old tree and walking back and forward.

"Yes I always sit here, ever since I came to the city" Jun said leaning up against the tree.

"If you want to know, we both share the shame tree" Kazuya said sitting down opposite to her.

"Oh, then the tree must have wonderful company" Jun said laughing.

"Oh yes, I really am good company" Kazuya said when he got his eye on the paper. "I don't hope this kinds of articles bother you" Kazuya said taking up the paper.

"No they don't I'm used to rumours, it was nothing but a innocent dance"

"Miss Kazama, I mean Jun are you from the Kazama's in Yakushima" Kazuya asked curiously.

"Yeah I'm from there how did you know?" Jun said looking puzzled at him.

"I grew up there myself, I remembered a Kazama family" Kazuya said looking up at the sky.

"What are you doing in the park? By the way" Jun said looking at his clothing while she took a sip of her tea.

"Me I went for a jog, then I saw you and I thought I would ask you if you were okay with the rumours going around"

"That's nice of you to ask, and you really are covered with sweat" Jun said and touched him with one finger, to demonstrate that it sticked to him.

"There are actually some people who do something to keep in shape"

"Are you implying that i'm out of shape?" Jun asked as she began to gather her things.

"I wasn't implying that, are you going back to the hotel now?" Kazuya asked when he saw her gather her things.

"Yes I've done most of my work, and I got to run an errand." Jun said getting up with her bag.

"You wouldn't mind if I followed with you, would you?" Kazuya asked her picking her book up.

"No, I wouldn't mind at all" Jun smiled.

They walked all the way to hotel talking about several things. But what they both hadn't noticed was that a person had been spying on them for a very long time.

"I hope I'll meet you again Jun, under better conditions. Where I'm not sweating" Kazuya said smiling and went his way. Jun got her books and went in, she thought she had seen a smirk on his lips. And that smirk she didn't understand.

"Hey Jun where have you been?" Michelle asked when she came in with Baek and Lei.

"I went to the park to relax and get some work done. You'll have to excuse me but I'm in a hurry." Jun said and entered the lift up to her room. She laid her things down, she thought now that something more business appropriate clothing would be fine. She slipped on a black skirt that went below her knees. She wore a white shirt with a black waistcoat. At last she took her id card from her work on her skirt, and she slipped on black high-heels.

While she got her high-heeled shoes on, she saw the phone answering machine was blinking. She pressed on the messages button to hear the message.

"Miss Kazama I am sorry to inform you that your meeting with Mr. Mishima the CEO of Mishima Ziabatsu has been cancelled. Mr. Mishima would like you to call the secretary and rescheduled for another time. Mr. Mishima is sorry that he can't meet you today but we wish you a good day." Lee's voice said on the machine. Jun felt an anger building up in her, she wanted to smash the machine right there.

Jun got her files and her bag she was now determined on going to the Ziabatsu. When she was on her way out Michelle came in.

"Where are you going in such a rush?" she asked.

"I got work at Mishima Ziabatsu today remember?" Jun said binding her hair up in a knot, she pulled carefully some head bangs out to her left side so they went across her forehead and some to the right.

"Oh yeah good luck" Michelle said to her friend.

Jun went through the doors of Mishima zaibatsu, and went to the receptionist for directions. She got appointed an elevator to the top floor. Jun stepped out on the top floor seeing several that where pushing to get through to the elevator. Jun went straight to the reception. When she saw Lee getting up from behind she was terrified.

"How can I help you" Lee said looking down on some files he ran through.

"Yes, I would like to know why Mr. Mishima cancelled his meeting with me?" Jun said looking irritated at Lee.

"Yes and you are from?" Lee said and looked up on her.

"I'm from the WWWP, Jun Kazama" Jun said getting more and more ticked off.

"Oh I know your name, Mr. Mishima was busy that is the reason that it was can…"

"Busy with jogging, I presume" Jun said banging her bag on his desk. "Is he inside?" Jun asked next looking at the heavy mahogany doors.

"Yes but you can't…" Lee spoke and was brutally interrupted.

"I know what I can and can't, and as far as I am concerned meetings has to be cancelled 24 hours before, its normal conduct. In hope of reschedule another meeting, but I got a message in my hotel. So don't you tell me anything!" Jun said almost screaming. Then Jun calmed down and went towards the mahogany doors.

"I would suggest you to be seated for a while" Jun said turning around on her heels when Lee got up from his chair. Jun walked through the mahogany doors, taking a deep breath.

"I don't appreciate to get cancelled on, Mr. Mishima" Jun said walking towards his desk, and his chair turned away from her, while her shoes went tik-tok under her feet.

"And especially not this late," Jun said placing her hands on his desk, still talking to the back of his chair.

"And you are?" Kazuya said not caring while he looked over Tokyo.

"I don't want to stand here and talk to the back of your chair Mr. Mishima. So maybe you should turn around and have a look for yourself" Jun said with her hands on her waist. Kazuya then turned around slowly on his chair.

"Kazama Jun, world wide wildlife protection" Jun introduced her self again to Mr. Mishima holding her hand out.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Kazama" Kazuya said shaking her hand.

"Now to business" Jun said sitting down.

"I am actually in a tight schedule Miss Kazama. But I would like to resume this meeting another day" Kazuya said looking over some papers.

"Well then Mr. Mishima, you really should plan your training sessions better" Jun said getting up and walked to the door.

"Why sudden change of heart miss Kazama?" Kazuya said standing up holding a file while he wondered over the contrast he was experiencing in her.

"First rule in business Mr. Mishima; Keep private life and buisness separated." Jun said turning her head only a little. "I thought a buisnessman like you would know things like these" Jun said turning around and her voice was some more soft then before.

"Oh yes, I should know shouldn't I" Kazuya said and smiled. Jun liked seeing him smile, his reputation in press was good. They knew they couldn't find something on him, so they never went across the line. She wondered if it was of fear or respect?

But he was also known as a good buisnessman.

"I would like to have my meeting rescheduled Mr. Mishima" Jun then spoke in a hard tone.

"Of course Miss Kazama. You can reschedule with Lee," he said as he voice turned into a buisness appropriate voice.

"Very well then I'll see you soon" Jun said and walked out followed by Kazuya.

Lee saw both of them come out on the same time, and he wondered, why she had come out with a more or less satisfied, when she clearly was more aggrssiv before. Lee shook the thought out of his head as he saw their angry expressions.

"Miss Kazama here would like to rescheduled, and give her a time as soon as possible"

Kazuya said picking up some paper up from his desk. "And do it right this time" Kazuya said looking at the papers.

"Yes, Mr. Mishima" lee said and scanned the computer for the earliest appointment.

"I hopefully will see you soon to a meeting miss Kazama." Kazuya said and bowed and left them.

"Yes I hope so too" Jun said and bowed and turned her attention to Lee.


	5. Chapter 5 The nod

AN: HI again sorry for the late update...  
but i have some good news i'm counting on updating at least 2 chapters by saturday.  
191026: i think we all would like to meet him!! well jokes aside. I actually feel very lucky when you write what i can do better, you actually take out some time to tell me that. And it is constructive criticism, so i try to learn and i hope i become a better writer

I hope you enjoy reading and let meknow what you think!

Chapter 5 - The nod.

* * *

Jun woke up the next morning by a knocking on the front door. Jun went to the door sleepy and groggy wearing a kimono. She dragged her feet along with her as she walked, she felt like she couldn't move much more before she fell to the floor of exhaustion. The few steps from her room to the front door seemed long and tiresome.

"How can I help you?" Jun said running her hand through her hair, as she stared at a man wearing a black suit.

"Miss Kazama"

"Yes" she asked, but she didn't get any answer as he handed her two envelopes and left.

She looked at the envelopes and looked after the man. She turned to the second envelope and saw her name on it, she looked on the back side it was unopened.

"_Dear Miss Kazama._

_You are to come to the lobby of Mishima Ziabatsu this evening at 4 o'clock._

_Here at the Mishima Ziabatsu the fighting schemes will be given. The rules of The _

_King Of The Iron Fist will be told here and any questions to the rules may be asked, _

_as it is Kazuya Mishima the host of The King Of Iron Fist and CEO of Mishima _

_Ziabatsu will be presenting them himself"_

"Weird it isn't signed," Jun laid the envelope aside and crawled into the warm sheets she had left only a few minutes ago. She felt the warm creep up her feet and up her legs and spread to the rest of her body. She felt her fatigue rush over her body as a nausea, and it overwhelmed her head.

The same knocking on her door again wakened Jun. Jun then stood up with her kimono on and opened the door.

"What do you people want from me?" Jun asked stepping out, when she opened her eyes she saw Michelle, Lei and Baek standing in front of her and looking weirdly at her.

"I just wanted to know if you wanted breakfast." Michelle said looking at Jun.

"I'd love some," Jun said walking towards the bathroom,"There came this letter for you, it's on the table" Jun said and walked into the bathroom.

"Did you get one" Michelle asked Jun when she came out.

"I think we all got one" Jun said taking sip of her apple juice; she had changed clothes and was now wearing a blue summer dress that went to her knees. "What about you guys did you get one?"

"Yeah this morning, that's why we came," Baek said sitting down by the table.

"I don't understand why they just don't deliver them to us individually. It's ridiculous they make a ceremony of everything," Michelle said taking a bite of her toast.

Lei was watching news when he out of a sudden turned the volume higher.

"Miss Kazama and Mr. Mishima were again seen together at the Tokyo public park. What they were talking about remains unknown but their body language speaks for it self. It looks like it is becoming more and more obvious that they might be a couple. But who knows next time, Jun Kazama drinks this much we'll be sure to get an answer from her" and small clips where shown of Jun and Kazuya together, and her drinking.

"How the hell did they get that?" Jun said hysterically.

"Jun they are reporters, they do it for a living" Lei said "Try to handle the press while your on a brutal murder case" he said explaining.

"Yeah I guess it isn't that bad, but it gets on my nerves. They make stuff into something that isn't true. And they make it sound so filthy"

"That's true" Baek said.

"Yeah, it's pornography of highest degree" Lei said and burst into laughter, elegantly followed by Michelle and Baek.

"You jackass" Jun said throwing a pillow after him and hitting him with another.

"Hey cut that out guys" Michelle said looking at them as if they were children.

"We aren't children you know" Jun said binding her hair up.

"You behave like some" Baek said defending Michelle's opinion.

"Oh… don't defend your girlfriend" Lei said for fun, and Jun giggled in the background like a little girl.

"See there's an example" Baek said pointing at Jun who stopped laughing, at that instant.

The schedules.

Jun still tried her best, to explain that there wasn't anything between Kazuya and her. But they would just nod and say, "what ever you say Jun, the proofs still stand clear"

"Welcome to every competitor in the tournament. I will tell you about the rules, there is not much to say as the rules are simple.

1, Get to the fighting matches in time, if late you are disqualified.

1,b you can get the Zaibatsu to arrange transport if needed and if you contact them…" and so Kazuya told them about their matches were their responsibility. They couldn't take legal action if they got injured or of other reasons as they were participating of own free will.

Then everyone got their schedules and could ask questions if they wanted to. Jun stood in one corner of the room drinking some mineral water. Everyone was greeting each other; Jun had lost her interest after having shaking hands with half of them. She found no one of great interest, and had found it more suitable for her to stand in a corner and observe the other competitors.

"So what do you think?" Jun heard a familiar voice from behind her.

"It's alright, if you like shaking hands and say hello to people before you beat the hell out of them" Jun said jokingly when she knew it was Kazuya.

"I was thinking more of the matches" Kazuya said chuckling.

"Oh… well that's embarrassing, my first match is with an Anna Williams" Jun said looking at her papers. "What about yours?" Jun asked Kazuya.

"I'm not participating, you all are here in the hope of beating me. Have you forgotten the reason why you are participating?" Kazuya said holding his papers in his hands. "And Anna Williams is her by the way" Kazuya said pointing her out to Jun. Jun followed his hand move and saw a tall red haired Irish woman.

"Oh… what about Paul Phoenix then? He wants a rematch with you?" Jun asked remembering him, what she didn't know was that Kazuya discreetly had nodded to someone in the room.

"How did you know?" Kazuya asked, as he knew she hadn't participated in the previous tournament.

"I shook his hand" she said ironically and laughed a bit. Jun saw the Irish woman walk by when she stopped.

"I'll see you in the ring, princess. But why don't you just give up you can't win over me" she said waving her hand at Jun.

Jun felt an anger being built up in her; Jun shoved her things in Kazuya's hands and went after Anna. Jun walked as fast as her feet allowed her too. She poked Anna lightly on her left shoulder. And when she turned Jun punched her in the face, Anna's face turned around the same way again as she fell to the floor with her bleeding nose.

"That's for calling me princess and the rest of the insult you'll get back in the ring, princess" Jun said to Anna who lay on the floor.

"You broke my nose you …, come back if you want a fight!" Anna screamed after her. "Why don't you do anything about it?" Anna verbally attacked Kazuya.

"I'm sorry miss Williams I can't do anything, it's outside of the tournament. And what happens there isn't my responsibility." Kazuya said taking a sip of his water.

Jun looked for her things, which had left Kazuya's hands. He lightly nodded in the direction of the table where her things were placed.

"Thanks" was all Jun said to him, and smiled as she picked her things up from the table.

"I guess I didn't have any choice, did I. Nice punch by the way" Kazuya complimented her; then he looked at a smiling Anna.

"Thanks, I don't like persons like her. They think they are so high above the rest of us" Jun explained frustrated.

"If that's what happens to a girl who insults, then I don't want to know what happens to guy who offends you" Kazuya said taking a sip of his water.

"What do you mean by that?" Jun asked confused.

"I hope your fighting skills are just as good inside the ring as outside" Kazuya said and left her, without answering any of her questions "Miss Williams you got some blood there" Kazuya said demonstrating on his nose, to Anna who tried to dry the blood off.

Jun was left only more confused.

Kazuya sat behind his desk in the office, when Anna Williams entered.

"Are you glad now my nose is broken?!"

"I got what I needed, and don't bother me in this way ever again or it will the worse for yourself"

"What is it about this Jun Kazama that interests you?"

"Leave Anna" was the only thing she got out of Kazuya Mishima.


	6. Chapter 6 the Flower

AN: Hi to anyone out there,  
This will be the first of two updates, im counting on getting the second up early tomorrow.

Hunter jinn: thanks for the review. I usually read the chapters through the a second time to be sure, but sometimes i just can't see them, i read the chapters to much, so i know what is supposed to be written in it by heart, so i go totally blind! it's very annoying, but i absolutely will make a greater effort! And thanks for telling me, and thanks for liking the story!

I hope you enjoy reading and llet me know what you think!

Chapter 6 - The Flower.

* * *

The hall was slowing being left behind by the competitors, some were glad thinking their opponents wouldn't be a challenge and others troubled. From the moment the competitors stepped out of the hall, an unwritten law came into force. From that moment they would face anyone, friend or enemy, who stood in their way to face Kazuya Mishima. Friendship came first until the friend you loved the most was your opponent in the arena.

Michelle turned on the TV to see if they were repeating Jun's great punch, and lucky her they were.

"Hey Jun look at this" Michelle said turning the volume up. Jun came walking silently, and then she saw her punch being repeated a thousand times. The punch was a great amusement for her friends.

"It looks like Jun Kazama not only has punches to deliver in the ring but also outside the ring. Kazuya Mishima apparently didn't have anything to say about Jun's behaviour, but he really can't have anything to say can he? At least not if he wants her as his new girlfriend. Which he does according to our sources. Anna Williams promised Jun Kazama a beating in the ring, but we will have to see it for ourselves won't we. And for the other competitors don't provoke Kazama Jun" the woman said and the channel went on with its daily programs.

"Nice punch Jun, maybe you should have given her a left punch while you were at it" Lei said laughing.

"Very funny, she was insulting me what would you have done?" Jun questioned him sitting down next to him.

"I would have walked away; I can't hit women that wouldn't look good on me as a cop"

"What if it was a man?"

"Then I would have walked away," Lei said resting his arms behind his head.

"Yeah, yeah that's just words you got in your mouth" Jun said leaning back in the couch.

"I'll prove it; I won't punch my opponent in the first match for the first two minutes"

"Are you crazy? The opponent will knock you out on those two minutes!"

"Okay, then for your concerns I'll cut it down to one is that all right?"

"That sounds more reasonable" Jun said feeling a little more relieved.

"Well I better get training if I won't to make through that one minute. But of course it won't be a problem for me!" Lei said smirking; Jun bent her head trying to prevent laughter from escaping her mouth.

"You better go and train Lei, that is for your own safety of course" Jun said to him, while she looked around for Michelle and Baek "where id they go?" Jun said discovering the fact that they both were left alone in hotel room.

"I don't know they keep on disappearing" lei said looking around "I better get going, I have some things to take care of" he said getting up as he stretched.

"Well I'll see you some time later" Lei said touching her arm lightly. Jun shot her head and nodded.

"Yeah, we will" Jun said walking him to the door; she closed it behind him and sighed.

Jun walked into her own room, when she sat down on the bed she noticed a red rose on her table. She took off her shoes and picked the rose up. She looked for a card on the table, or a piece of information of any kind. She found a card, which she flipped, open, but when she looked inside she was surprised. The card didn't say anything it was blank. Jun looked at it twice; she searched the table for a second time. When her search was completed she continued on the floor, and eventually ended up in the hallway outside their room. Finally after some minutes had passed she gave up and returned to her room. She had thought about all the possibilities of it being a stalker, to the possibility that it could be an admirer, and from a nice fan to a good luck flower from her boss.

But when she thought of all the opportunities she never thought that it might be a Kazuya Mishima.

Jun picked up the phone and dialled the number to the lobby. She asked if they had been asked to bring a flower to her room. The receptionist asked her twice if she was talking about a flower or flowers. Finally the receptionist came to the conclusion that they hadn't delivered the flower. The receptionist suggested that it could be some one who had access to her room, Jun blankly refused the possibility. Since Michelle was the only who had a key to the room, and thereby access to her room as well. Jun thanked her for her help and continued to search her own mind.

Her mind continued at a neck breaking speed, she left the matter of who it might be from and continued to how it got in there. She went to front door and checked it, she didn't now what she checked for but she would know when she saw it. Eventually she came to terms with that the door showed no signs of it being forced opened.

She thought of all the occasions where she had talked to any of the competitors, or those who were touched by the tournament. Then it struck her, only one person could have sent her the flower, Kazuya Mishima.

She had ruled Lei out, he wouldn't have come inside and risk being seen on the crime scene. And he couldn't have placed it himself since he was next to her most of time, during the announcement. Then again they weren't much else then friends. Then it had struck her again, Kazuya Mishima. Although he was in the centre of things, he could have had some one else to place the rose on her table. He could have it done so easily.

Then the thought of Kazuya frightened her. What did the flower mean? She picked the rose and turned it in her fingers, when a blood drop hit the table. She looked down on the blood drop; she had not even noticed that the flower had cut her. She looked at the cut in her finger and it wasn't something out of the ordinary, it was just unusually big for having been caused by a thorn from a flower. She laid the flower on the table, and squeezed the wound tightly. The blood for some reason just wouldn't stop, but she kept squeezing it till it hurt and she had spilled some more drops. Finally the wound would stop bleeding. Her thoughts once again circled around Kazuya, was it him? If so, then why? It didn't make sense, why would he do it, it only made sense if he tried to get her out of the tournament as quickly and pain free as possible. Why? She just couldn't understand why.


	7. Chapter 7 The Threat

AN: Hi to anyone out there! i just wanted to say sorry for the late update, i've been very busy and i have had a serious lack of inspiration.  
But i hope you enjoy reading and let me know what you think!

Chapter 7- The Threat

* * *

Jun stood in the changing room, she walked nervously around. It was her first fight, and it was against Anna.

She looked up in the mirror and asked herself why she was here and if it was worth it. A tournament where people beat the hell out of each other, and she sacrificed her body to get to Kazuya Mishima. But was it going to one way or the other?

She looked into her own eyes searching for something she couldn't get the answer to.

Jun looked up in the arena and saw the lights shined down on her; the crowd was roaring and was like dancing shadows in the bright light.

"Let's start doll face" Anna stated when she brushed past her and positioned herself opposite for her. Jun looked up and over her shoulder, and there in a seat raised above the rest she found her employer: Kazuya Mishima.

She hadn't known that she was employed by him, but what didn't the media tell everyone and anyone who wanted to know…

The match was finally over and no one could believe the result. Jun Kazama had won.

Kazuya Mishima coldly got up from his chair, looking at the unconscious Anna lying on the floor of the arena. Somehow Jun Kazama had overpowered his very own employee, his own bodyguard…

He was forced to think otherwise now…

He turned around and left the arena, Jun stood panting in the middle of the arena.

It was only going to be the first victory for today, she hoped.

Jun got many congratulations on her way out; she wasn't the only one who surprised after all. Many had expected that Anna would have won; she was after all one of his guards. The most cruel and wicked man seen on the face of earth was her employer.

And yet she was the one lying with her face down on the arena.

Jun was followed by her friends up to her room; everyone said it called for celebration but she had other things to think about.

"You really don't want to celebrate your victory? You do know she was one of Kazuya Mishima's bodyguards?" Michelle questioned her.

"Michelle, there is another more important matter I have to tend to. And if I succeed, then I will celebrate. And yes I knew, but it doesn't make her more powerful or invincible" Jun said holding her friends hand, pleading for her to understand.

"All right, have it your way" Michelle responded as she shrugged with her shoulders.

Jun found herself in the elevator once again; she was cramped into a small space in the corner of the elevator. She felt like she was in a can. The elevator didn't seem to move but only get smaller. Some left the elevator and many more entered.

Each person in the elevator wore black, every time she saw someone move it became a big ocean of black. They were simple black waves, small portions of the waves left and even bigger portions hit the elevator. She drowned in the black ocean; she was a little island in the mist of the big black sea. And yet she felt she was drowned in the big ocean.

By the time she reached the designated floor the elevator was empty. She could finally breathe again, she was once again fully alert and in control.

The elevator said "ding", and the doors opened. She got out and saw Lee sitting by his desk. As she began to approach the desk he looked up and typed something into the computer.

"Miss Kazama if you take a seat Mr. Mishima will be with you in a moment" he said gesturing towards the chairs. Jun smiled and sat down. She looked on the table there were no magazines laying on the table no paintings on the wall and no plants of any kind. She had never noticed it before, but then again she had only been here once before. He didn't have any intension of letting his visitors rest in any dimension while visiting him.

Suddenly Lee jumped up from his seat and walked over to her.

"Mr. Mishima will see you now" he said gesturing toward the door. She got up to walk to the door; surprisingly he walked in front as if to follow her to the only room in which Kazuya resided.

He opened the door and saw her walk in, as he closed it gently behind her. He was reading some papers when he entered, and when he saw her come in he signed them and laid them away.

"How may I help you Miss Kazama?" he asked her watching her sit down right in front of him.

"We, the WWWC and I, have found proof of animal abuse in your business. I am here to reason with you before we take any further steps" Jun said honestly as she placed a closed brown file in front of him on his desk, she leaned back and waited for him to pick it up. Kazuya leaned forward as he slowly picked it up and opened it; he looked through the papers and the photos in the file. He spread them slowly out on his desk and leaned back in his chair as he had a second look at the papers.

"And in which department is this abuse happening?" he asked her as his eyes remained fixed on the papers

"In your research department for…" Jun paused as she reflected on the answer "it's in one of your research facilities on an island you own"

"An island?" he said calmly "then what you have done to obtain this 'information' wouldn't you call it trespassing?" he asked her provokingly. Jun sat silently starring at him as he slowly fixed his on her instead of the papers.

"It was a common control of the labs you have, and can you deny having any knowledge about these activities happening in your labs?"

"To my knowledge miss Kazama these labs do not even exist…" he stated calmly. He was surprised that even after a fight she ought to be tired and yet she was very clear minded and sharp, maybe even she contained an animal. "And you will be welcome to check these so called labs if you want to" he said leaning back.

"Are you sure Mr. Mishima that these activities haven't been taking place? Because I have proof which speaks other wise" she said leaning a little forward.

"If you do, I suggest you present them for me"

"What you are seeing on the table, is the proof I have the liberty to show you, Mr. Mishima. I would suggest you to consider my offer to you, and contact me when you are ready to negotiate. Have a nice day Mr. Mishima" Jun said the last words getting up from the chair.

"Isn't the trespassing against your ethics?" he asked her.

When Jun turned he was standing right behind her. She hadn't heard him move, and yet he was standing right behind her. He wasn't looking at her; he was actually starring right into the door right past her.

"Isn't it wrong of you to give a flower to someone competing in your tournament? Someone who could pose a potential threat." She asked him in return answering his question with a question. She looked him straight in his eyes.

"Well Miss Kazama then the only question that remains is, are you a potential threat then?" Jun froze when his eyes met hers. He displayed nothing but confidence.

"I could be" she answered.

"Have a nice day Miss Kazama" he said and moved his arm around her body and grabbed the doorknob and turned it slowly. She felt how his arm slowly manoeuvred around her body without touching her, yet she felt his hand on her skin.

He turned the doorknob and opened the door. The door forced her closer towards him, before it could open. She didn't dare to look at him, she turned and left his office.


	8. Chapter 8 The Reconciliation

AN: Hi! to anyone out there reading. I hope you liked the last chapter and will enjoy this one as well and i encourage you to let me know what you think!

Chapter 8 – The Reconciliation

* * *

Jun woke up in the middle of the night as the moon light crept into the room, and over her. She rubbed her eyes as she got out of the bed she fumbled to find her robe. She sat silently in her bed with her hands between her thighs. Yesterday was still a living nightmare, which she ironically only could escape by sleeping.

Jun got up from the bed and let the moonlight caress her body. She walked to her bag which she hadn't bothered to unpack; she wasn't counting on staying for long. She got a pair of jeans and a big jumper out. After she had dressed herself she walked to the door opening it quietly. She peeped out through the crack, no sign of life she got her jacket and walked out of the door with only her key card to the hotel room.

Jun walked through the empty hallway to the elevator, the elevator doors opened and an old man with a briefcase in his hand greeted her. She smiled shortly and pressed a button, she found her spot behind him in the elevator. She watched him as he got his wallet out and stared at a picture with a woman and two children. His shoulders were lifted lightly and came down to their place again. The man stared up at the ceiling looking at the numbers light up as they passed the floors, he looked at his wallet once again before it found its place back down in his pocket again. He removed his newspaper from under his arm and read something about finance and two big corporations, one of them being Mishima Zaibatsu. The man ran his eyes slowly over the paper. The elevator suddenly stopped, a woman talking in her cell phone got in. She continued to talk about her boyfriend to another girlfriend, Jun supposed. She stood right next to her and finally when she had stopped chattering in her phone, she started to leaf through her magazine. She stopped at a page where there was a picture of Jun and Kazuya. The man left the elevator sighing deeply. The woman looked at Jun once and then she looked down on the picture. Jun only caught the headline something about a legendary knock out on one of his bodyguards. She also caught some hearts on the page, before she got out and almost ran out of the lobby to the empty street outside. She could finally breathe at peace outside.

She walked on the streets alone seeing groups of people some times, she walked not knowing where she was going until she finally had found a destination.

She walked on the grass and she could hear it crunch underneath her shoes. She walked towards the tree, in her own pace loving every moment of the walk. She turned around herself adoring the feeling of the cold night breeze and fresh air. When she came near the tree, the smell of cigarettes hung heavily around the tree. She continued to walk not thinking twice over if the person might still be there, she walked around the tree with one hand placed on the trunk, her hand ran along side her. She stopped suddenly when she saw his shadow and instantly she turned around and was to walk away when he spoke to her.

"There should be room enough for us both" he said quietly as he continued to smoke. The tree suddenly seemed much bigger and graver than she had ever seen it before. The wind ran violently over its branches and tree top. Jun leaned up against the tree and sat down; she pulled her legs into her body and rested her head on her knees, she stared out into the night without saying a word. Her figure disappeared completely; Jun pulled her hood over her head. When she remembered the article she had seen in the elevator. Kazuya stared straight ahead; he didn't even look at her but walked back and forth, once in awhile.

"What do you want from me?" she suddenly asked him without looking up.

"What do you want from me?" he answered her question with a question.

"The flower, Kazuya! What the hell was it for?" she asked him and got up.

"A flower is a flower, it doesn't mean more than what you make it" Kazuya said dryly.

"Then what means did you send it with?" she asked him standing closing to him.

"What do you think?" he asked her in return.

"What do you think? Give me answers Kazuya and not more questions than I already have" she demanded from.

"I'm interested in you…" he finally confessed.

"Interested and what does that mean? We're doing business; do you always get interested in your female business associates?" she said while her arms waved around the entire place.

"No, I actually don't get interested in every female I cross in my path. I'm not a pig…" he said and threw the cigarette and crushed it under his shoe.

"I didn't say you were a pig" she said apologizing.

"You implied" he said still on the matter.

"Maybe there isn't enough room for the both of us" she said and turned to walk away. She suddenly jolted when she felt a coarse hand touch her hand. She stopped dead in her footsteps and tried to breathe while having a big lump in her throat. She was turned around by him gently, she starred right ahead not lifting her head to meet his eyes, she continued to stare straight ahead. He lifted her head with his finger, exposing her face for his eyes. Her skin shone brightly as if it had been ignited by the moonlight or his touch. He looked into her eyes, no panic was to be seen nor anxiety. He ran his fingers up her chin to her hair line. He tipped the hood back to rest on her shoulders as he ran his finger through her hair. His fingers returned to her chin, he ran his fingers over her forehead and along her jaw line and stopped his finger at her lips. He touched her lips with his thumb, he looked at her lips, they contained much more colour than the rest of her skin.

He kissed her.

Jun stood frozen when she first felt his lips on hers, she didn't respond to the kisses he showered her with. Then something woke up in her, something she never had felt rise up in her in such way. She responded his kisses and even her hands had found their way up to him. He pulled her into himself until their bodies touched. He had one arm placed around her waist. When she felt his arm around her waist and how he had pulled her toward himself, she realized who it was she was kissing.

"Kazuya…" was all she could stutter as she tried to pull away from him. She created the distance and broke away from his kisses.

"I've got to go…" was all she said and she left him, breaking his hold on her hand, finger by finger. She turned around quickly and left him standing alone underneath the tree. He had seen the look in her eyes, it had changed. It had become one of fear and doubt.

He saw her leave, she continued to walk not once did she look back. Soon he also turned his back to her and walked away from the shelter of the tree.

Jun walked faster and faster, the wind felt awfully chilly and she placed the hood over head once again. She walked faster and faster until she found herself running through the streets of Tokyo. The streetlamps became a big blur; the people she ran past were mere shadows.


	9. Chapter 9 Whispers

AN: Hi, this is a pretty late note, but I wanted to thank gamefangurl for reviewing and I hope you keep on telling me what you think. This chapter is actually much longer than planned and involves many more elements than i had planned. But I hope you like reading it and let me know what you think!

Chapter 9 – Whispers…

* * *

"_Kazuya Mishima was presumably spotted in the park, late at night. It isn't unusual for the CEO of Mishima Zaibatsu to be spotted in the park, the unusual__ thing this night was his female companion. He was seen in more unusual manner as he kissed the unknown woman passionately. The woman left though before the CEO could leave her, it looks like the CEO is in pretty deep. Pretty deep in love! And it looks like the short romance with Jun Kazama is over"_

Michelle tuned the volume down when she saw Jun coming out from her room.

"You're up pretty late, its noon" Michelle said pointing towards the clock on the wall.

"mhmm…" was the only noise Jun could utter, as she poured some hot water into a cup. She sat down on the couch and turned the volume up to listen to what just had been said.

"Looks like you got competition" Michelle joked, she knew herself or at least she believed in that Jun would never be interested in a man like him. He was one of the most powerful men in the world, and thereby also dangerous. He was evil and should be held responsible for what he had done that was what she knew for a certainty, and she would hold him responsible for what he had done. She didn't care about his past or his future, he wouldn't escape she would demand answers.

Jun got up after seeing the broadcasting she walked towards her room. Michelle wondered where her spirit had gone; she used to be a happier woman. What didn't the tournament rob its competitors of? People fought for their own goals what ever they might be, revenge for someone they loved, fighting for more power or even a fight on the behalf of someone who couldn't defend themselves.

"Are you alright?" she asked her finally.

"I'm fine I've just got some work to do…" Jun said as she entered her room and closed the door behind so Michelle barely could hear her. In that moment Michelle made herself a note, she wouldn't let the tournament devour her. Even if she lost herself she would make sure she didn't lose herself in the midst of it all.

Jun left the hotel when Michelle no longer lingered in the living room; she walked several blocks away from the hotel. She walked several extra blocks from paranoia; she didn't want them to follow her. They hadn't followed her around when she was fighting for the environment, but now they were suddenly interested in her. The supposed short lived flirt.

Jun stood in the hallway looking fumbling for her keys, when she got in she felt as if her shoulders fell down to where they belonged naturally. She threw her bag aside and threw herself down in the bed, she felt herself sink down in the bed. She saw the red sheets rise above her eyelevel. She could only she the white ceiling above her and if she looked to the side she saw the red sheet get penetrated by the sharp sunlight, coming through the windows. She had always wondered how the sunlight found its way to her little apartment in this big city. Jun felt her eyelids get heavy she had never felt this tired in her whole life, it was as if the tournament had sucked the life energy out of her, and had left her, the empty shell of her former self behind.

Jun stood in front of the mirror with a struggle she had never found herself in before. Should it be a skirt or pants? It couldn't be a skirt; it would suggest too much maybe she should just wear some pants. After all that was the appropriate attire, people had worn it for centuries. But again why should she bothered with what he thought, what went through his mind. She wasn't the one that should be kept responsible for what he thought; he could think anything she hadn't given him signals. She hadn't acted in a way that demanded him to court to her. She ran her fingers through her wet hair tucking the hair away behind her ear. She didn't remember one single moment where she had wanted him to kiss her or even notice her…

Jun looked up in the mirror; she walked up to it slowly dropping the pants and the skirt on the floor. She leaned in on it until her whole face wasn't clearly visible to her. Her eyes were locked on her lips. She ran her fingers across her lips…

Jun again found herself in a chair in front of Kazuya's office; she sat in the cold room waiting to be called in. She hadn't seen Lee anywhere, and had taken the liberty to sit down expecting the man behind the doors had everything under control. The room seemed smaller than usual, but could she allow herself to say usual. She had after all only been there twice, a smile formed on her lips when she discovered herself noticing every little detail there was to discover. She straightened her pencil skirt and her shirt, as she could see her own reflection in the frame hanging opposite to where she was sitting. The big doors were suddenly opened and a dreadful deep sound spread through out the room. Jun was about to get, she had anticipated that it was her he had waited for. When she heard another pair of footsteps she stopped herself in the motion and sat down slowly and as much soundless as possible. She saw a woman, clearly not of Japanese heritage walk through the door, as she continued to talk to him. Kazuya followed her to the elevator as they continued to discuss. He finally shook her hand and received a card from her. He walked straight to Lee's desk after the elevator door had closed. He looked through some papers, when he suddenly stood still. He looked up slowly still directing his face toward the table. He peeked from the corner of his eyes. He saw her petit form sitting quietly in the corner. How could he have overlooked her?

"That idiotic piece of…" Kazuya cursed under his breath, there wasn't anything to do about it now.

"Miss Kazama" he said and started to walk toward the door, he saw Jun close something and rise from the seat quit quickly. She reached the door at the same time as him. He looked at her and nodded before he opened the door for her. Jun smiled embarrassedly before she walked into his office.

"Have a seat" he said stretching his arm out toward the chairs. Jun took a seat directly opposite to his and placed her bag so it could lean on the chairs legs.

"So how may I help you today Miss Kazama?" he asked her his eyes fixed on the papers he was organizing.

"I came to see if you were ready to negotiate" she spoke short and directly. Kazuya stopped moving on the papers and laid them slowly down when the complete sentence had reached his ear.

"Actually this meeting should never have taken place, today that is. This meeting was supposed to be rescheduled and there is nothing to negotiate" he said looking directly at her for the first time. Jun got up from her chair; he expected that she would give him some lectures about morals or she would walk out from his office.

"Are the Helicopters permitted to fly so close?" she asked him, when she saw it come moving through the air towards the building. Kazuya looked quickly over his shoulder, and saw a black shadow fall on the sun. He jumped over the desk, grabbing Jun before she could react he turned the table over and held Jun closely, as the shattering sound of the big windows reached their ears and bullets cut through the air. The rain of shattered glass fell over the both of them, showering them both in sharp glass. Kazuya took his jacket of in mere seconds and provided it as a shelter. He looked down at her; she sat silently as if she was listening to when it might be over. Jun suddenly looked up and met his eyes; there was something different about them now. They contained reassurance. Jun could hardly breathe when she noticed Kazuya's heart rate was normal, he was calm as if nothing was wrong. Soon they heard the sounds of the helicopter fade out, but they were quickly replaced by something else. The sounds of footsteps were heard.

Kazuya got up leaving her by herself, she heard a woman shout. Not able to control herself she got up. She saw a blonde woman in a tight outfit. Fighting with Kazuya.

It was not long till Jun got involved as well. The woman moved her arms violently, giving the impression that she didn't master to control her body. Kazuya was standing a great distance from the woman; that was when Jun noticed the woman had a dagger in her hand. Jun tightened the jacket between her hands and waited for the right moment. When the woman advanced toward Kazuya getting ready for a strike, Jun leaped in front of him. She wrapped the jacket quickly around the hand with which she held the dagger. The woman looked stunned at her. Jun forced her arm the other direction so she went down on her knee from the pain. She quickly released her one hand and punched her. Kazuya took over and forced the woman toward the wall. Realizing she was trapped the woman fled. She jumped out from where she had come in. They soon saw the helicopter fly by once again.

He looked back at Jun who stood silently with his jacket in her hands. She started to straighten it with her hands. She walked toward, while the glass continued to crack underneath her feet by every footstep, reaching the jacket out to him with her hand. The sun shined into the room, the sunrays hit the glass that lay spread all over the floor. The rays bounced to every part of the room, igniting it a way never seen by Kazuya before. It had suddenly gained warmth he never had seen and he found it quite mesmerizing. It no longer seemed like the windows were windows into a different dimension, offering a rare glimpse to the sun. The wind blew and screeched outside the building. Jun suddenly shuddered when she felt the wind.

"Your jacket…" she said, when Kazuya didn't reach out for it. He took step towards her and took the jacket from her hands. He took another step and stepped closer to her and placed the jacket on her shoulders.

"You need it more than I," he spoke silently, and brushed some glass out from her hair, he lingered for awhile "Let's get you out from here…" he said and placed his firm hands on each of her arms. He forced her quite violently out of the office. When they got out from the office he searched for Lee with his eyes, he was no where to be found. He pressed the elevator button and left her there to stand by herself. He quickly walked to Lee's desk and picked up the phone and pressed two buttons, he said something about getting something out quickly that was all she could understand. When he heard the noise from the elevator he grabbed her again and entered with her. All the time she stood still, and every time someone tried to enter the elevator and they caught a glimpse of him. They smiled apologetic, even if they had fear written in their eyes, and bowed to the man, while murmuring something about waiting for the next. When they finally reached the lobby it was already filled with journalists of all kind, demanding answers about what had happened. The security guards already had their hands full, before the pair of them arrived.

Kazuya started to squeeze his way through the crowd while holding Jun close into him. The security guards gathered in a ring around them, trying to protect them from the cameras and the microphones. Every journalist and cameraman fought to get the microphone as close as possible and get good pictures. When they finally reached the street a car was standing there he quickly opened the door and got her in the car. He quickly spoke to the driver and caught a last glimpse of her, before he saw the car drive away with her and was surrounded by the journalist who didn't even care if they stepped out on the street. She looked at him through the window in the back, in disbelief.


	10. Chapter 10 Visiting Hours

AN: I don't have much to say this week except that i hope you read and review! and let me know what you think! Good Reading

Chapter 10 – visiting hours

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The chauffeur drove Jun to her own apartment; she stepped out of the car and closed the door behind her. She walked up the stairs and stood in front of the door looking for her keys. Keys she didn't have, she realized that she didn't have them and felt completely useless. How difficult could it be to remember a couple a keys? She walked down the stairs and hailed a cab in. She didn't think about what she did, she just did it. It was as if it was an automatic programme which had kicked in, it had kept her from stopping, and she continued to stare out of the window. She could see the cab driver looking at her not only twice; he continued to look at her when he could afford to look away from the street and its traffic. She ran her hand through her hair and small grains of glass fell out from her hair and onto her lap. She stared at the glass that had fallen to her lap; the strand of hair was now hanging outside its designated knot. She picked a small grain up and stared at it holding it up to the light coming in from the window. Suddenly she couldn't see it and she found out that it had found its way into her skin. A fine stream of blood ran down her finger, adjusting to the many fine lines she had in her finger. But it was a fine river out of control even when it was as small as it was. By the time the cab reached the hotel she could see people every where, before she even stepped out of the car the cameras where already filming her and the photographers were taking pictures of her. The journalists had already started to ask their question before she even had stepped out. Jun crossed her arms and held on tightly to his jacket, she stepped out of the car and so began the flood.

"Miss Kazama, what happened? Who attacked you? And is it true it was an assassin?" was the first question she faced as she started to push her way through the crowd. The journalists did everything to stop her from reaching the doors of the hotel. "Are you romantically involved?" was the next question, and the one mistake Jun shouldn't make she did. She looked directly up at the journalist in disbelief. "What were you doing there? Is it Mr. Mishima's jacket? Are you planning to meet him later?" a journalist asked her as she stepped in front her.

"Please step aside" Jun asked her politely as she tried to push her way through.

"Where is the attacker?"," What was it like being attacked? What were Mr. Mishima's reactions?" that was the last question they could ask her when the door men inside saw her trying to push her way through the crowd. The crowd moved like ways and pushed her farther and farther away from the door. The doormen finally reached her and they helped her to the door. Jun turned around in the doorway and looked at the journalists. They all suddenly fell silent, they were waiting for her to speak or even better say the wrong words.

"Wrong place, wrong time" was all she said before she turned around and walked towards the elevator. Everyone in the elevator stared at her; she stood silently staring at the floor. She fiddled with her hair getting some of the glass pieces out of her hair. When she finally could step out of the elevator she walked to the door without looking up, that was when she realized that she didn't even have the cardkey to lock her into the room. She leaned up against the wall and sled down the wall until she finally was sitting on the floor in the hall. She drew her legs into herself and rested her head on her knees. She was tired beyond imagination.

Everything that had passed seemed like one big blur, nothing was clear, except from one thing.

His eyes…

"Jun?" Jun heard a familiar voice call out to her "are you alright?" the voice asked her this time. She looked up and saw Wu Long staring down at her. She blinked twice before she could answer him.

"I… I just had a really weird day, I'm fine" she answered him when she saw the concern in his eyes.

"I heard, are you alright and why are you sitting here in the hallway?" he asked when he bent down to his knees he had his hand on hers, he had caressed it as he had asked her.

"I don't have the keys…" she paused to think, "I lost them I guess, they are probably in his office, and I can't go to get them. They are everywhere…" she said looking at him.

"Why don't you come with me and wait till Michelle returns or we can call down to the lobby to get you an extra key." He suggested as he got up and held his hand out to her.

"It sounds good" she said and took his hand.

Lei let her into his hotel room and she found her place on the couch and took her shoes off. She leaned back into the couch and let her head rest. Lei noticed her hold on tightly to the jacket.

"If you are cold I'll get you a blanket" Lei said to her as he moved around.

"No, no need I'm not cold…" she said and closed her eyes as she let go of the jacket.

"Do you want tea?" he asked her as he felt some odd need to comfort her or the need to bring her something.

"That would be great," she said with her eyes closed. The time it took Lei to make the tea she had fallen asleep. Lei laid the cup down on the table in front of her and leaned back in the chair he sat in as he took a slurp and looked at her.

Jun opened her eyes and saw Lei talking to Michelle. They weren't talking they were whispering, and when Michelle's eyes fell on her and saw her stir, she quickly motioned Lei to stop talking.

"Hey you're back" Jun said getting up and picking her shoes up "Thanks for everything Lei" she spoke and gave him a kiss on his cheek. She continued to walk towards the door when she realized Michelle wasn't behind her.

"Jun are you alright?" she asked worried, looking at her in away Jun couldn't stand and would rather be free of. That look it wasn't concern, it was doubt and suspicion disguised as concern. It was doubt of her true nature and what she was doing here, and why she had been involved with him.

"Would everyone please stop asking me that? I wasn't attacked he was!" she yelled without intending "Just give me the key, I want to take a shower and sleep" she said holding her hand out to receive the card. Jun was surprised when Lei stepped forward and handed her the key.

"She's just a friend concerned for you" he said as he placed the key in her hand and closed her hand around it. She held his hand as she looked up at him.

"I don't need concern, just give me space to breathe" she whispered in his ear as she hugged him.

"Thanks, here you go" she said and handed the taxi driver the money. It was dark and the stars what about the stars she wasn't able to see them clearly. The streetlights lighted up the streets and blocked for the small but natural lighting. She hadn't seen them clearly in a long time, when ever she walked on the streets of Tokyo in the darkness she suddenly longed for her home. It was a sudden surge, it was like a invisible bond drawing her home, begging her to return to where she belonged where she had been born. The nature that had raised her.

Her father's and mother's voice called out to her…

There wasn't any need for the stars the light from the billboards polluted the cold and dark nights of Tokyo. The rain was falling heavy and thick as if it was the last rain; she felt the rain hit her. Her hair became heavy and drenched, and it clenched to her face. Her skin was grey under the streetlights as she walked in the rain. She didn't know why she was going, she knew she had to, she needed answers.

She wanted to see him.

She would never admit it. Why would she want to see him? She was working against him and he stood for everything she opposed. And yet she was on the way out to him, she was seeking him. She suddenly found herself standing outside his door. She considered if she should ring the bell or… turn around and walk into the night until the darkness engulfed her form completely so she no longer was visible for him and he to her. She stood thinking for every second there went she got wetter and wetter, colder and colder. Her skin got greyer and greyer under the illumination of the streetlights. She hadn't thought it through and wanted to walk away. She could not face him.

Suddenly her finger pressed the button and it had made the decision for her.

She stood outside and was not able to breathe; she listened for footsteps but had to admit she was defeated by the heavy doors. No light was shining inside the house, no sign of life. She turned around and walked into the night and was once again greeted by the cold air and unkind rain. Suddenly a frame of light hit her figure, casting a long shadow of her figure on the gravel. Her shadow was not the only one portrayed on the gravel walk.

"About to leave?" the familiar voice asked her.

"I thought you weren't home?" she said as she proceeded back toward his door. She noticed he had a drink in his hand. What didn't trouble her mind was how he had recognized her.

"Why did you come here?" he asked her, as he saw her walk towards him. She was completely wet, her hair was practically dripping with water down her face, and drops fell down on her jacket. Her skin was ignited even when there wasn't any light in such a cold and merciless night. The winds howled, her voice was serene compared to the screams of agony and pain of the night, which roamed the house he had learned to call home.

"I came to return your jacket," he stepped aside opening the door a little more so her figure could pass through, when he heard her say those words. Her steps ran through the empty halls, letting the ghost of his past actions, his past and the ghost of the darkness that roamed the halls know another creature was about to enter its house. He took the jacket from her hands and threw it over a chair. He turned his back to her and started to walk away from her; she looked up and saw his figure disappearing into the darkness of the hall. She followed after him with light steps, he lead her to what seemed to be a living room.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked her as he poured more from the decanter for himself.

"No thank you" she answered him short as she found a chair to sit in. She looked around the room there wasn't much to be found. The walls were naked and the floors bare, they were cold as their master this very evening.

"What do you want?" he asked her as he fell into the chair as a bag of potatoes. He leaned back; she could barely see him as a great shadow fell over his face.

"Who was that woman? And why did she attack you?" she asked as she sat quietly, anxious of what he might answer. Would he tell her the truth or would he dismiss any sign of approach form her?

"You want me to lay my soul naked before you, you wish my tongue to tell you every secret I hold, and you want me to shed blood for you this very evening, when you will not even share a kiss with me?" he spoke agonizingly and with disbelief. He leaned forward and revealed a brutally sweet smile to her. She sat back as she heard his words, he was filled with anger. She was even more surprised when she saw the smile on his lips.

"I think the price with which you wish to pay me with for the services you want me to give, is too little for the big demands you have. The money you pay me with is too little, come back when you have a better offer" he spoke with agony as he emptied his glass "I will not sell my soul for such a petty value". Jun was taken by his harsh words, he wasn't himself. She could smell the alcohol on his breath as his agonised words reached her. He sat and brooded in his chair, he was a great man. Muscular, his appearance was raw he could easily come to pass as a untamed human. His mind was equally as cunning and the way he moved only supported the theory of a wild and untamed nature. She wouldn't be surprised if he killed her with one hand, and her body was never to be found. He had towered over her the day she met him, what could her figure do against such a form. He would devour her whole and she wouldn't even have the strength to scream or call for help.

But that wasn't all she saw, his eyes were different.

Jun rose from the chair she sat in and left him in the darkness he sat in. She wouldn't be devoured. As she walked through the halls, she prayed she could escape from the darkness of the house and the stillness, yet in the corners she could hear whispers and the agonised screams and cries for help. She felt them already form a chain around her figure as she walked toward the door. It wouldn't let her escape with her life. She could feel it close in on her, and her pace quickened. When she finally reached the door and touched the cold doorknob, she didn't dare to look back. She didn't want to see what it was, for she knew if she saw she might never return for him.

She turned the knob and heard the sound of its wailing run through the halls as more and more voices joined it until it rang with such force and depth, if ever heard again no man would stay sane.

She ran out into the night, and felt the merciless wind and cold rain, and she felt blessed to feel them.


	11. Chapter 11 Spider's Web

AN: HI! first of all i just want to apologize for updating so late. I had some finals to do and graduate! So now I have all the time in the world to write and update, so i'm just letting you know that i'm back in service and i'm really sorry for not having updating while I had my finals. But i hope that you're still interested in letting me know what you think about the story so I can improve my skills.

Have fun reading!!

Chapter 11 – Spider's Web

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Jun sat on a chair by the table and sipped to her morning tea. The TV was blasting in the background fighting against the racket from the streets, fighting for her attention. The only function she had deemed the TV for this morning was to drown the sounds from the busy city outside, she could hear the crowds' complaints and joys, and she could feel them push each other to make way through the big crowd. The only thing that mattered was the fact of how happy they were, it was their ultimate goal. The more happiness the better, but how could it be achieved? The more money, power and useless objects, to distract them from their pains made them happy.

The sounds of the busy city travelled through the air and entered her little sanctuary and made it her own private hell. She couldn't remember the last time she had heard her own thoughts. She hadn't known that she never would find peace in this damned city. She had moved freely and gladly, a new city new people. She could finally escape from the burdens of her home, yet they had followed her like ghosts to the city. They hovered over her and seldom left her side.

She sat with the cup in her hand, desperately trying to extract its warmth. She wanted to feel the warmth again she hadn't felt it for the longest time and she missed it. The steam graced her face with warm greetings as it made its way to the loft. She played with it with her fingers, before it would evaporate and disappear. She felt it wrap around her finger, she felt it wrap its warmth around her finger. She finally felt warmth and she formed it and curled it around her fingers, but it was only a temporary feeling and solution. It wouldn't help her nothing would help her. She could manipulate with the steam and push her agony aside for awhile but how long? For she did not possess the powers to manipulate anyone to stay with her, to put her out of her agony. Every person she had appointed to the task of driving her away from her agony and the ghosts of her past had failed. Every man had tried but some deemed her not worthy for the heavy and difficult task. So it would end in a few joyful weeks before they parted and went their separate ways, she would continue to walk in the dark world her parents had destined her to while the ones who had let go of her hand returned to their own fragrant and colourful world, and all she ever could do was to stand in the darkness and watch from the sideline. She couldn't join them, her parents had deemed another future and purpose for her, even when she had fled it followed and tormented her every time the night fell.

Her thoughts were broken by a black shadow crawling over her table. She shot her head up and looked at the creature crawl over the surface of the table. The black creature crawled over the white kitchen surface. She looked at it crawl slowly and carefully, then it would pick up its paste and yet it would return to a much slower paste. It was as if it was flaunting its confidence in defeating her, it was as if it knew. It knew she wouldn't harm it, it knew it wasn't in her hands to harm it. Jun suddenly felt disgust build up in her and then she lifted the book slowly and smashed it on its small body. She lifted the book up slowly and saw its body all over the kitchen table, it had been crushed and defeated. She looked at its contents and small legs scattered all over the table. It couldn't flaunt with its power now, it held no power over her.

Or so she convinced herself.

Jun left her home, which she had chosen to call it as she couldn't seem to find any other fitting name for it. When she got down the stairs she saw a familiar face

"Lei, what are you doing here?" she asked him surprised as she couldn't remember giving him the addresses to her apartment. There was after all a reason to why she had chosen to live in the hotel even when she could have stayed home in the comforts of her own sheets and pillows.

"I just wanted to check on you, you never returned and Michelle asked me. So here you find me at your doorstep" Lei tried to read her face for any little wrinkle that might reveal her feelings and whereabouts of yesterday. He had to admit he was defeated, her face revealed nothing yet her nervous body language revealed the fact that there was something to hide. He had her figured out as a open and cheerful girl, yet the past days had proven him wrong.

"I'm fine I just needed to be in familiar surroundings. The tournament and…" Jun thought of something that could be an easy target for her to blame. "and everything else, it's just been very hectic. I needed some peace of mind" Jun revealed only what was the most necessary as she spoke gently, she showed consideration for his hunger; therefore she spoke with carefully chosen words so his hunger would be satisfied an she could keep her secrets to herself. She started to walk and he followed in her footsteps. They spoke of everything unnecessary as they both strolled to the hotel. She watched every word she spoke not to reveal anything yet this feeling told her she had nothing to guard, nothing so dear that she should feel an urge to protect it. Yet she wanted to protect it for it awoke a feeling which she never had felt this strong, something seemed different. It gave her hope.

"Thanks for everything Lei," was all she said before she left a kiss on his cheek, she knew she had found a true friend in him. He had listened carefully to every word she had spoken, and she had enjoyed the compassionate look in his eyes. It all was for her, she too needed somebody she couldn't be alone and on her own forever. More importantly she didn't want to be on her own for the rest of her life, she feared the black shadow which had seemed to hover over her life since her very first memory. She left him standing on the street; he carried the clear expression of surprise. He hadn't known that he had become a part of her life and had had an impact on it.

Kazuya sat by his desk in his office his head felt heavy as it never had done before, the curtains were drawn not letting a single ray of sunshine into the pit dark office. Kazuya swallowed a couple of aspirins and leaned his head back to let it rest. He didn't need the sun in his life, he could do without, he was more confident than so he knew he could better without it. He hadn't felt his hearts desires in a long time, the only desire he was capable to feel now was vengeance and that feeling also seemed to have left him now. He felt nothing, could it be true had he become an empty shell? The TV cried in the background as the woman told about the economic world. When Mishima Zaibatsu was mentioned Kazuya lifted his head, a smile crept on his lips as it showed that Mishima Zaibatsu dictated the economic world with its stocks and ground breaking researches. He continued to read his own papers as the news continued to another part of its segment, which he wouldn't define as news. He signed the papers and continued to read. The darkness soothed him, he could do his business in peace with no one to interrupt him. He didn't feel any discomfort in the darkness he lived in; at times he thought he could see its eyes lurking in the corners. He could hear its laughter creep through the air until it finally reached his ear, it mocked him called him weak, told him that it, the creature it self, was the only reason for his survival. He knew it was true, he wouldn't have made it without it and therefore he prepared his body. He was determined to become stronger and take control, but it knew of his foul plans, for it was it who had planted such wretched hatred in his heart. He had taken care of the little fire in his heart, he had added fuel to the fire and he would continue to do so.

For he was nothing without him, he was a pathetic creature the day he found him and now he was among its belongings.

Kazuya's attention started to drift away as another voice rung in his head. It sounded familiar, on of the gentlest voices he had ever heard; of course the voice belonged to her. He looked up and saw her trying to push her way through a crowd of photographers. His eyes lingered a moment longer on her figure than he had counted on. The footage was from the day someone had tried to assassinate him, yesterday he thought. Dark rings had been formed under his eyes and they were heavy. They had been heavy the most of his life. His eyes drifted away from her face but were drawn back as they showed new footage of her. He turned the volume up as he listened eagerly.

"_It seems like the brief relationship between Kazuya Mishima and Jun Kazama has taken a bad tur__n, more correctly it seems like it is over" the young woman said as her eyebrows seemed to have risen to unnatural heights " A Young woman was seen leaving Mishima's mansion late at night. Jun Kazama doesn't seem to linger in the pain and doesn't seem bothered by Mishima's late night visitor, she herself has found a new flame. She was seen this very morning in the company of another tournament competitor. They seemed to enjoy themselves as they walked to the hotel, their walk ended with a kiss on the cheek. It seems like a new romance is brewing…"_ Kazuya turned the TV off and picked up the phone as he spoke he took a file off from the desk and put it into one of the drawers and then he locked the drawer. Soon after a man stepped in, he stood in the darkness and was not visible to his employer.

"There's something I need you to take care of in an official and clean matter" Kazuya spoke quietly as he stretched a file out to him. His hand moved through the darkness and was illuminated by the scarce light as he received the file. He opened the file and looked at the information that was to be found inside. He nodded quietly and left him, soon after Lee entered the room.

"Call her I want to settle the matter before it spins out of control" he spoke and looked at the TV that was turned off. Lee wrote it on the paper he had brought with him and when the sound of the pen on the paper, scratching the words down, reached his ears he looked up.

"It is to be dealt with now" he spoke loud enough for him to hear it, he looked up although he only could see him vaguely he knew he was looking at him, straight at him. Kazuya was once again left in the darkness, it whispered to him again. It told him that he was inadequate to even take care of his own business and that little girl, he couldn't even take care of a little girl instead she caused him so much trouble. She would get to him, it mocked him.

He hoped she would, yet he knew he didn't need it, he would survive without it. He thrived in darkness, he depended on it.

"Could you tell Lei I'm not going to make it" Jun said to Michelle as she bound her hair in a tight knot "They rescheduled my meeting for today" she told her and left her before she could give her any response. She had changed under the tournament, but who was to judge? She hadn't known her before the tournament, but she knew her enough to sense that there was something wrong.

Jun found herself in his office only moments after she had stepped out of the elevator. His office was empty so she sat silently, waiting in the cold chair. She no longer found the view from his office interesting. It didn't tempt her to get up and see the city.

'He must be filled with such satisfaction everyday meeting up and having such a view greet you every morning, he must think greatly of himself' she thought to herself. The most powerful man in Japan, maybe even the whole of Asia, with the world at his feet. The office was cold even when the sunlight shined in and was a great source of warmth. She looked around as she previously never had had a chance to even turn her head. It was like the rest of the place sterile and cold, leather sofas stood in the corner. They were probably reserved for his great business partners, they probably sat their when ever a deal was closed and drank on it and cheered, maybe even smoke cigars. She despised men like him; everything was worthless as long as it stood in their way to success. They would use anything and anyone to get to their goals. She quickly searched the table with her eyes but found the surface blank. She suppressed her urge to get up and search for papers in his desk, anything she could use against him; she was no different than him and his associates. She too would do anything to reach her goals. Her goals were different; they were for a greater good.

Jun's thoughts were disturbed by the sound of the door as it was pushed open. She didn't care to turn her head and greet him, she heard his pace slow down and then he picked up his normal pace. He walked past her and while he looked in the file he was holding. He sat down in his chair and noted something down, the sunlight illuminated half of his figure and the rest of it was left in darkness. His shadow fell heavy on the desk it reached out to her feet and as it touched her feet it felt cold. He turned a page and then another he ran his hand over the paper and signed something.

"It's good to see you could make it" were the only words he said as he laid the paper aside.

"I didn't have any choice" was her short reply, she didn't make eye contact with him but stared at the table "Why am I here?" she finally asked him "we don't seem to be able to reach any agreement" she questioned his reason for having the meeting rescheduled and after last nights events she wanted to be in as little contact with him as possible.

"That is were you are wrong. I have an offer that I think you might find very agreeable" he told her as he was looking at her, she raised her head when the words reached her ears. She saw him holding out the very file he had been looking at, she took it and looked over the papers. She was surprised by his sudden cooperation.

"As you seen I will grant the WWWC permission to control every facility that I am in the possession of, the WWWC will have the option to do this twice a year or every quarter. The WWWC can also control my facilities if your organization should find any suspicious reason without the Mishima Zaibatsu's knowledge. The Mishima Zaibatsu of course agrees on by no means involving animal testing in our testing facilities." he spoke as her eyes ran over the papers she looked at the last page and found his signature, the black ink contrasted with the white paper. The only thing missing was her signature, her name had already been written under the line. She wondered what had made him change his mind, why would he suddenly guarantee what he only days before rejected the knowledge of? Why was she even questioning his reasons, there wasn't any need for it, he had granted them free access. But she doubted that his actions were genuine, they had access he would look clean now then he could continue his work elsewhere…

"and this agreement won't disappear the moment I have signed it and I leave the room?" she asked him, she wanted to see his reaction and she was surprised his face revealed disgust and insult.

"Do you not trust me?" he asked her he was looking her straight in her eyes he wanted to know now.

"I'd like a copy" she said while he looked her straight into her eyes, she saw Kazuya move back in his chair his lip curled up in a smile.

"I take that as a no" he said and reached for a file in his desk "Here you go, the only thing missing is your signature" he told her as he handed her the copy "I thought you might like a copy".

He saw her look the copy through, she finally looked up and he handed her a pen. Their hands touched and Kazuya held on to the pen, when Jun looked up and established eye contact he let go of the pen. She signed the papers and handed him the copy and kept the original.

"I hope you don't mind if I keep the original?" she asked with a smile on her lips, she was obviously teasing him. He knew she would want to keep the original, anyone who made a contract with him always wanted the original and it was the wisest. He couldn't guarantee the safety of the agreement and he didn't know when or if the original ever could disappear, so his associates had learned and they had learned to take precautions.

"No of course not, keep it if it makes you confident in your case" he told her and got up from his chair, Jun rose from her chair when she saw him getting up.

"So this concludes our business" Kazuya said holding out his hand to her, Jun looked at him before she reached her hand out "I hope not to meet your organization in unpleasant business again" he said when he saw her hesitate.

"So it does" she replied coldly and shook his hand, he seemed different. There was much power in his handshake not enough to crush her hand but enough to let her know. He seemed calculating; there was something wrong something he was hiding and he was proud of the fact of being capable to hide it from her. He was too confident.

"And this agreement will of course be celebrated" he told her as he walked her to the door "The Mishima Zaibatsu will be arranging an official event tomorrow to make the goodwill between my zaibatsu and your organization public, I hope you will join us" he told her when they had reached the door.

"Us? Does that mean that my superior already knows of this agreement?" she asked him, for it was highly doubtable to arrange such an event without consent from the other party. He looked at her with an entirely different look, he wasn't being funny or charming as he had been the first they met he was professional.

"Of course he knows, it just needed your consent and signature" he told her "But even if you hadn't given it, it would have gone through" he told her, he was letting her know that she wasn't indispensable "the agreement had their consent and if you didn't sign" he held his breath "Well that is an entirely different story" he told her as he opened the door. Jun kept staring at the floor, she couldn't believe what he had just had told her. She believed that she was a valuable key person in her organisation and that her presence made a difference. Jun looked at her watch and saw that she just might catch the last of Lei's match. She left him by the door without saying goodbye or anything at all.

Jun came running into the arena where people were standing up and roaring, some of them stood on their seats. It seemed like it was a match which had gotten a bit too exciting. She walked down to the seats in front of the scene; they were right you could smell the sweat and taste the blood in the air. She was overwhelmed by Lei's opponent, he was much bigger and faster than Lei. Jun recognised the man, it was the very man Kazuya had been talking to in the garden, he was one of his trusted bodyguards and worked directly under him. Kazuya must have felt threaten for some reason since he was in the ring, he only sent his bodyguards in when something had to be dealt with she believed. But Lei was victorious, it had seemed that Kazuya's guard wasn't undefeatable.

When Jun walked up to him he was out of his breath and sitting on the ground.

"Need a hand?" she asked him holding out her hand to him. Lei looked up in surprise.

"I thought you couldn't make it" he asked her as he took her hand and got back up on his feet.

"Well that match went well, do you think you could help me to my room I need to take a hot shower after this" he told her jokingly.

"Come on," she told him in reply and walked ahead of him "I'll give dinner so we can celebrate".

"What do you got to celebrate about, I'm the one who survived a deadly match" he stated as she continued to walk up the stairs. She suddenly stopped and looked back at him and waited till he had reached the same step.

"I just closed a deal" she told him and he looked at her weirdly as if he had forgotten, suddenly he hugged her.

"Congratulation, you know you might be the first woman to get him where you want him" he said and let out a big laughter that rang through the big arena. She felt awkward about their new found intimacy, which had been found this very morning.

"Do you know what, I think I just might" she told him and smiled, she was confident now and yet something bothered her. There was something wrong, she didn't know what the agreement or him?

Jun stood in front her building taking out mail; she had walked with Lei to the hotel but continued until she had reached her building. She had told him that she needed to check her mail and he had offered to walk with her, but she had denied. She had claimed that he needed his rest after the match and now that she stood in front of her mailbox taking the mail out. She agreed with herself it wasn't a bad lie, after all she was checking it luckily she had something to check. The night was clear she could see the stars, they broke through the pollution and shone for once, one of the many rare times since she had moved to Tokyo. The night air was crisp and refreshing every breath seemed cooling and clean for once. It soothed her tonight, it didn't strangle her like any other night. She took her mail out and browsed through it quickly, bills after bills. Nothing new yet the last letter she felt in her hands was different, it was from Yakushima. She turned it over to see who had addressed it to her when she heard a voice call and some footsteps.

"Are you busy?" she recognized the voice immediately, it was dark and heavy. She quickly shoved the letter from home in between her other mail before she turned around.

"What do you want?" she asked him coldly, she couldn't understand why he had come to her, especially after he had made it clear that she was replaceable.

"I just wanted to apologize" he told her in voice loud enough for her to hear. People looked by and looked oddly at them he stood by the roadside and she stood by the door to her building. They stood with this great distance between them and talked to each other like strangers but for strangers they seemed like lovers that had quarrelled and ultimately he had returned to her apologizing for his behaviour, so they believed but it was much more different. She felt nothing but hatred and that was the answer she would give that very moment if anyone was to ask her how she felt about him. Even when they stood with the greatest distant between them, the agreement had showed the length both of them would go. She looked at him; he was much different than the man she had met in his office. The man stranding before her displayed emotions and didn't seem very controlled or calculating. He was very different, he even seemed lonely maybe he was just as lonely as she was; maybe he too was in search of somebody. Jun pushed her thoughts aside, a man like him couldn't he like her they were worlds apart. He was the ocean and she was the sky, moon and sun.

"Come with me, the street isn't a proper place to stand and talk when it's this cold and late" she told him and turned her back to him, he followed her silently. She hadn't even questioned him how he had found her apartment, that question had to wait till they got inside. She walked up the stairs, it wasn't the most impressive place she living in, not impressive after his standards. It was fine for her the neighbours were friendly and the space was big and the neighbourhood wasn't bad at all. It all was peaceful and quiet at times. She could feel his eyes on her back as she walked in front of him, guiding him through the building. When she reached the door she struggled to find the right key in the darkness, the bulb wasn't working. He stood in the darkness silently; he looked at amused by how nervously she was looking for her keys but there something completely differently calm about her spirit. Finally she found her keys and entered her so-called home she closed the door after him, a scent of incense and flowers greeted them followed by the heat in the house, almost make the smell nauseating.

"Make yourself comfortable" she told him as she turned on the light "Do you want something to drink?" she asked when he was seated. He simply nodded no. She took her jacket off and placed the letters on the table in the living room, she pulled her cardigan over her head, when she finally got out of it she saw his eyes was plastered to her body and the little part of her body she had revealed. He looked away when she looked in his direction. She disappeared out into the kitchen for awhile as she was setting water to boil for a cup of tea. After awhile Kazuya came to her, he had become impatient he had only come to say a few words ad leave again but she made it much harder than it was. He stood in the kitchen looking at her manoeuvring around in the kitchen as she had started to make tea for herself he pulled a chair out. He sat down and saw her move around slowly since he had taken a seat in the kitchen.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asked him, she remembered him saying that he wanted to apologize she just wanted to hear those words again, it was no crime.

"I want to apologize for last night" he told her with a low and thick voice, Jun took her cup and sat down around the corner of the table from him. She sat close to him, closer than she might have wanted herself but her body had made the decision for her.

"It was rude of me, the way I behaved. I was drunk" he told her, he sounded ashamed and she wondered if he was drunk this very moment as he was apologizing to her. What puzzled her more was; was he even able to feel an emotion like embarrassment. He finally looked up and she knew it was sincere, he meant every word he had said.

"I'm sorry, I intruded. I demanded answers I had no right to demand" she confessed, he wasn't the only one who had behaved improperly. Even if she loved that he was the one to apologize to her, she knew she had acted just as wrong as him and therefore just as guilty.

"I never asked you, were you alright?" he finally asked her the question that had bothered him the most, since he had been attacked and she had been the wrong place the wrong time. She rubbed her arms and he noticed the small scratches on her arms which had started to heal.

"I made it, I wasn't hurt so…" Jun said taking a sip of the hot tea; it felt good after all the cold air she had swallowed like a child eating ice cream.

"It's good to know" he told her but as a contrary to what he just had said to her he took a hold on her arms when they came down to place the tea cup on the table. She sat silently observing him he turned her arms in her hands and looked closely at the scratches. He caressed her arms carefully and looked up at her, she looked at him and smiled. She had accepted his apology and reassured him that she was fine.

"I also apologize for this afternoon, I wasn't being very professional" he confessed for the knowledge of knowing that she was alright.

"Why are you here Kazuya? Is this some kind of new customer service?" she questioned his reasons for approaching her by her apartment. It all could have waited till tomorrow, it wasn't necessary now and not in her apartment. Kazuya moved forward and she felt his hand on her knee it moved up to her thigh, she didn't know what to do. He ran his hand through her hair and pulled the hair behind her ear, she stopped his hand when she realized who it was, she remembered. She placed his hand on the table and looked at him.

"Why are you here?" she asked him again she rose from her chair and pushed the chair back into spot. She drank the tea as she felt the frustration build up in her, she moved out of the kitchen and into the living room. She opened the two doors to the balcony to let the cool wind in, for it only seemed to get warmer in her little apartment. The drapes were blown into the room and Kazuya saw her figure get engulfed by the colourful drapes. Her pale and slim figure stood in the midst of a red and green fire and was illuminated by the moonlight; he saw her fight against them gently until she finally had pulled them aside. She could see the whole street from her balcony and the traffic in the mornings but it was at nights as these she truly enjoyed having a balcony.

"I came to apologize," he told her when he had reached her on the balcony "It was all I came to say" she looked at him and he could see the fear of having misjudging him in her eyes. She was actually afraid of having sentenced him unfairly.

"Your apology is accepted," she replied to his honest answer, her eyes told him that she truly had accepted an apology from a man that everyone had deemed cold hearted and cruel. He stood beside her on the balcony; she looked at the street beneath and the road that had been deserted by the inhabitants of the city. She turned her eyes toward the skies he seemed to recognize the same longing in her eyes; he had never seen it in the many eyes he had met in Tokyo. But her eyes weren't clear they were misty, even if the atmosphere around her was serene he could feel the burden and despair. The moon did wonders for her she didn't seem burdened in the moonlight, the small wrinkles disappeared and it seemed like she achieved true tranquillity even if it only was momentarily, he could she the gratitude in her eyes. He reached out to her and touched her cheek gently, she turned her head to him and his hand moved her hair behind her ear. He was surprised for he had not counted on her skin being warm in the cool wind. He hadn't felt the warmth of another being for a long time and her warmth mesmerized him. He leaned in and kissed her, she didn't move away but she responded his kisses. Jun suddenly felt a harsh wind blow, but she didn't mind for kiss gave her much greater warmth than the cold feeling from the wind. The drapes blew towards them and Jun broke fro his kisses, she rested her head on his shoulder and felt him wrap his arms around her and warm her. She felt safe in his embrace and he loved the feeling of holding her, though he didn't know what feeling it was. He didn't know how to define something he hadn't felt before, tranquillity seemed to be the only word he could remember that moment that seemed to fit.

"You should leave, it's getting late" was all she could say; Kazuya looked up and saw doubt in her eyes. She didn't believe in his sincerity. There was no reason for her to repeat what she had uttered, he had heard her thoughts. He left her apartment without looking back at her, Jun stood on the balcony with the cup the tea was getting cold fast and when it was cold it couldn't grant her much comfort. The silence was greater than ever before and every breath seemed too loud. The cold air was much cooler than before and the warmth of her home scorched her. The loneliness buried her soul a deeper grave. There was no peace to be found.

She saw him exit the building and walk across the street; the streetlights illuminated his figure as he walked confidently. He seemed very confident for a man who just had been rejected. He walked to a car and looked back up at the building he spotted her still standing there she was looking at him. She smiled to him it was nothing but a friendly gesture and he had returned her very little gesture, for which she could not expect much if not nothing at all, he made a little movement which seemed to be a smile to her. He was too confident, but she had no time to think about that smile, she couldn't rejoice in the little smile he had revealed and the many what if scenarios plagued her mind. She saw the car drive off into the night and she turned her back to the street and looked at the table. The letter was visible from where she was standing; the wind had moved the other letters and the moon illuminated the letter. Even nature was against her.

The letter she had received from home and her father's words weighed much greater in her mind, the smile and the scenarios all disappeared for the letter was from her deceased father…

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PS. I usually don't write anything at the bottom, but I've worked a bit on this chapter to get the right emotions through and I would REALLY like to know if YOU think it works, i'd like you to tell me if they are to stiff in character or to stereotypical, I would really appreciate it! Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12 The Letter

AN:

Thanks to gamefangirl for the review I'm glad to see that you're following this fic and I hope you keep on telling me what you think of it, and my favourite tekken couple is also Jun and Kazuya!!! They rock!!!

And thanks to pokemonnarutofreako for adding this story to your list of favourites!

I hope you have a good time reading and feel free to leave a review!

Chapter 12 – The Letter

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Jun stood on the balcony looking at the letter that had been illuminated in the moonlight. She couldn't stray her eyes away from it, it called her like a siren. She walked inside and picked it up she turned it in her hands the writing belonged to her father, she concluded after examining it for awhile. She sat down on the couch with a big lump in her throat suddenly breathing had become harder for her. She turned it once again and it had been addressed from their home or rather what she ounce had called home and never since found another to compare with her parents.

She opened the letter carefully she pulled the letter out carefully she didn't want to tear any of it. Suddenly something cold fell into her hands and she dropped it immediately when she felt it hit the soft skin of her hand. The cold metal hit the floor with a loud thud, she looked down at it, and it was a key. She picked it up and recognized it. It was her father's key to their home she was now more confused than she had ever been before. She opened the letter carefully and began to read.

"_My darling Jun congratulations on your birthday _

_I apologize for not being there myself, to see the smile on your face and those soft and kind eyes filled with warmth.__ To hold you once again my daughter, I love you very much. _

_I do not write to you to make you upset or worry you; I want you to know that I am proud of you.__ As I grow older you grow wiser and stronger. I ask of you for your forgiveness if I failed you as a father, for I fear that I have, all I ever wanted was the best for you. All I ever wanted for you was to keep you safe and prepared, my darling Jun you are destined for great things and I can tell by the fire in your soul that shines through your eyes._

_I hope you have settled in Tokyo and do not feel lonesome. I understand now why you left, I had burden you greatly, I asked a child to grow up I burdened you with a task to great. I ask for your forgiveness once again. All I ever had wanted was for you to realize all the potential you possessed and never doubt yourself. You have a great heart like your mother and possess just as much kindness like her. You have the purest heart now you must possess the strongest will, for it will be difficult but know my daughter that you are the one. No one else can complete this task but you._

_Act with your heart and you will not regret. _

_It may not seem to be the greatest thing in the world from the view in your eyes but it will change the course, and it will change you.__ Remember it is the smallest of differences that matters the most, for they can change the substance in which they reside. _

_You shouldn't be scared my daughter, you are strong and you are courageous, you will overcome this obstacle in your life for you carry your heart with you. _

_My darling Jun I love you dearly and wished nothing but the best for you my daughter. Do not doubt yourself for you are the strongest and the wisest. Act with your heart with whole of your heart and you will not fail._

_Know that I will always love you and I never doubted you_

_XXX____ Farens navn!!!__" _

Tears were running down Jun's cheeks she could hear her fathers voice once again. She had never known that she had left him broken hearted when she left for Tokyo. She had hurt him deeply, her own father and she had not known! Her mother had let her go with tears in her eyes but her father had blessed her and told her that he was confident in her success. He had seemed happy. Jun picked the letter up once again and as she did she could hear something rattle inside it. She tilted the content onto her hand and saw a golden necklace in her hand. She held it so it would dangle in front of her eyes, it had belonged to her mother once. As it turned in her sight she saw something had changed, there was an inscription on the back side of the locket.

"_Remember to always have your heart with you" _it read, she opened the locket and found a picture of herself as a child with her father. That was what her mother had kept in the locket all that time, and she had acted like it was a big secret. She opened the lock and pulled it around her neck and locked it once again. She held it in her hand she didn't doubt her father or his word, they were a great source of confidence, she only lacked confidence in herself. She rested her head on the couch as she continued to hold onto the locket. She wished she could return home and leave this awful place, there was no one to love nor could she be loved. She spent hours and sometimes it felt like days in her grey apartment, no matter how colourful objects she purchased for the apartment it was the same old gloomy apartment she returned to at night. She wanted to return to the forest feel the grass underneath her toes once again and hear the birds sing. She wanted to feel the life in nature around her surrounding her once again, for she had never before been in such a big crowd in a place filled with so much life and yet she had never felt this lonely before.

Jun choked her problems and went to her bedroom and fell into her bed. She had felt warmth for the first time tonight ever since she had moved to Tokyo and she had asked him to leave. Sometimes she doubted her own ability to gain happiness on her own and the difficult task of maintaining it. She turned in the bed as more tears rolled down her chin, she wouldn't turn to his arms there had to be other arms she could turn to. Another that she could turn to for trust and consolation and yet she knew her chances for finding that somebody was dim.

"I'm just saying that you shouldn't forget who you are and your morals" Michelle told her as she was getting more and more frustrated, she was telling her for her own safety. She hadn't experienced the malicious callous and unmerciful Kazuya Mishima on the contrary the one she had encountered had turned out to be a rather pleasant one, but Michelle knew better or so she told herself that she did.

"I'm telling you for your own good, Jun. You have to listen to me he is the man responsible for many deaths. He is different than you he doesn't have any morals or ethics in his entire body" Michelle told Jun she had been sitting silently listening to everything she had said and she knew she was right, he was different. Michelle had been talking to her about "the right thing to do" as she had said it herself, ever since she had returned to the hotel room. Apparently some channel had gotten great footage of Jun and Kazuya's rendezvous from last night and she obviously had seen it already. The TV was on and luckily for Jun she could see the rerun.

"_Jun Kazama and Kazuya Mishima don't seem to have broken up. The couple was seen in what we would call a feisty and passionate reunion and it is also the couple's first public kissing segment._

_Their new flames can leave this town for these two aren't finished with each other yet, better luck to Lei Wulong and the mysterious woman another time . The couple was first seen talking on the street in front of the building were Jun Kazama lives and things seemed to be very cool, they were standing a couple of meters apart and had a conversation. It certainly looked very cold as Jun would only look at him once or twice, but Kazuya managed to sweet talk her and they both went upstairs. Later around midnight they both were seen on Jun Kazama's balcony, were it developed into a hot and passionate reunion. I'm just glad that they chose the balcony for their reunion" _the host commented along the way her excitement was hard to hide, stories like these kept her pay check coming and without victims like her and Kazuya she wouldn't have any job

"_The couple lingered on the balcony until Kazuya Mishima finally decided to leave. The couple smiled their goodbyes and Kazuya left her as a fair maiden on the balcony, t__aken straight out of a fairytale , as I can see it probably won't be their last public or private rendezvous. Be sure to see our next programme as we keep track on the famous faces and their activities"_ her face and the footage finally disappeared from the screen, Jun felt relieved and thought that moving out to the balcony might not have been the best idea, but it was her freedom and she couldn't care less or could she?

He was different than her; they both represented something different they both were opposite poles. She knew that there was no way for them to meet, they had their own place in the world and Michelle was right. Those were her thoughts when she finally decided to speak.

"It was a mistake Michelle, so don't tell me about my morals and ethics. I asked him to leave and he left" Jun spoke those words easily but she doubted herself, for she hadn't believed in a single word she just had uttered. Michelle was taken back by her response she didn't attempt to defend herself and her actions but instead she had told her bluntly that she had made a mistake. She had noticed the hand gesture she made and the wrinkle that had appeared on her forehead; her body robbed her minds secrets. She knew she shouldn't have come back to the hotel yet, the journalists had gathered in front of her building and the hotel asking her questions on how long they had been seeing each other, questions she had no answers to. Now she was facing her so called roommate.

"Now if you don't mind I have to get ready for some sort of event to celebrate the collaboration between the company and the organization" Jun told her and left she didn't even wait for her respond. She knew he was different but was it a crime to be different?

Jun looked at herself in the mirror when she had gotten dressed, it was appropriate she told herself. A black jacket with a black pencil skirt, it was an official business press conference with out doubt. She didn't have to dress like it was anything else it was formal and she had decided that she would behave and dress accordingly. Behaving accordingly was to smile and shake their hands and not talking about anything but business and only subjects that everyone knew about already. Dressing accordingly was pretty simple a task, nothing to feminine you were one of them you were in their world, the world of pants and coasts.

She entered the elevator thinking how lucky she had been that it was held in the very same building, then she didn't have to go far. But it wasn't mutual ground it was on his ground they played by his rules, she had no doubt that they now were in his pockets. There wasn't any way around it and yet her superior had been very eager to sign the papers.

"Some progress at last, the fruit of our labour" he had said himself. He believed in it as a victory and maybe they had defeated his company. Maybe there wasn't much more to do but to develop a cooperation that would carry fruit. She had been courageous enough to wear a crimson coloured shirt beneath instead of a white one. She had dress according to the secret law but that didn't mean that she had to blend in, she could stand out and underline that she was a woman after all, Jun thought as she walked by the mirrors in the lobby area. She stopped and looked at herself she corrected the little jacket she wore a little waistcoat underneath, designed to hug a woman's figure in all the right places. She corrected her lipstick and saw a man staring at her reflection from the lobby, she got eye contact with him and smiled. He could see the sparkle in her eyes when she smiled to him. She walked right past him and through the large heavy doors into the large hall. Immediately she had been surrounded by journalists and photographers asking her question's about how she had succeeded in bringing such a lucrative deal into order. Her superior came quickly to her rescue maybe a little too quickly, he got some great shots with her at first before it struck him that he had come to rescue her from the journalists. He pulled her aside and hugged her.

"You've done a terrific job, you have really outdone yourself this time" he told her as he hugged her once again "Why have you dressed so formally it's a joyous occasion" he told her as he observed her more closely. Jun smiled and took off her jacket and then she seemed more casual, more to the liking of her superior. Jun left his side when a group of journalists approached them and she saw the look in his eyes, he was more than pleased to give them an interview and a picture or two. She walked up to the bar and ordered something to drink she looked towards the platform that was raised. She looked around in the hall but couldn't find him; it appeared to her that the host was fashionably late. She felt something rub her arm when she turned to see who it was she found herself looking into the man's eyes, it was the very same man from the lobby.

"I hear you're the one to speak to tonight" he told her, he had found her quite charming.

"Oh, I am I didn't know" she told him as she took a sip from her drink "And you are?" she asked him for his name.

"I'm Takeshi" he told her offering his hand she happily shook it as he smiled happily as she introduced herself.

"Jun" she told him and so they had started on a first name basis, she looked around herself and saw a couple of journalists looking for a new target. Quickly she turned her head and hoped that they would leave her alone. Takeshi looked himself over the shoulder and saw them approaching, so he moved closer to Jun and laid his arm around her pulling her into him. Jun looked surprised at his action and wanted an explanation. He looked at her and smiled he pointed with his eyes in the direction of the journalists and she had understood. He pulled back when he saw them move away.

"Thanks" she said appreciating his action even if it only had given her a small amount of freedom she was grateful.

"Your welcome, we have to protect each other after all" he told her, she looked up at him clearly surprised. He saw the look in her eyes she was confused and he explained.

"Kazuya extended my firm an offer as well, I'm from the human rights office" he told with that warm smile once again. She looked at him she was surprised that someone like him would work in such a line of job. She had believed him to be one of the investors with money in one of the companies or organisations that were invited tonight.

"Is that true and I thought I had you figure out!" she exclaimed out loud. He smiled warmly and she noticed that his eyes didn't hide anything, she could read them and he more than welcomed her to do so.

"Who did you think I was?" he asked her intrigued by her easygoing spirit, she didn't seem tangled up. What he didn't know was her skills in pretending that everything was fine were exceptional. For if he had known the truth he wouldn't have approached her and he wouldn't have talked to her.

"I thought you were an investor or a rich parent's inheritor" she told him blankly she started moving away from the bar and he followed her with his drink. She seated herself by the table where she had left her coat.

"Do I really look like a million?" he asked her as he sat down on the chair next to her.

"Maybe not a million but definitely worth something," she told him with a teasing smile on her lips.

"So do you think he means it seriously?" he asked her his voice was serious and he had asked her as colleague to be respected. She looked at him for a while she didn't know if she should tell him what she found to be the truth.

"I hope he does" she told him instead, she had agreed with herself that exactly that answer would be the most neutral. It would leave him to speculate on his own and that the organization had undergone this deal with confidence in collaboration. Suddenly all the talk and activate had stopped but the photographers and journalists activity had risen to new heights. They all knew who had arrived and now the so called official announcement of their collaboration could be made public

He stepped onto the platform immediately and began his speech.

Jun watched him closely as he held his speech she couldn't tell if it was a performance or if he meant what he said. He looked around in the hall and held eye contact with many people from the crowd.

"This collaboration clearly demonstrates the new steps Mishima Zaibatsu is taking; we do not only serve the world providing with our technology and ground breaking and pioneering research results. We also serve the public by protecting the things that have been here since the break of dawn. We take the necessary steps to help in protecting the fragile nature; we must not only use it but also protect it. For it is our responsibility we must preserve the nature and its inhabitants from exploitation. There are other ways to success without the exploitation of the nature" he proclaimed, and he continued his speech encouraging other companies to follow in the same steps to create a better world. At one point he had reached Jun and he held eye contact with her, Takeshi noticed the look in her eyes and he knew he already had lost the battle.

"We can only achieve this goal by collaborating with those who have worked for this cause in so many years hoping to open our eyes, those who speak on the behalf of nature and its inhabitants when it doesn't have a tongue to defend itself in our world. Those whose hearts burn for nature" Jun broke the eye contact and took a sip from her glass when she heard him pronounce her name. She stood up from her chair and everyone attending clapped for her while she made her way up to the platform. She stood beside him when he chose to step aside and extended his arm to the microphone encouraging her to say some words.

"Like Mr. Mishima said nature doesn't have to be a victim for the technological progresses…" Jun started her talk of how collaboration was the right solution instead of the organizations and companies fighting each other and how it could make their work much easier if they cooperate with each other. She talked for a couple of minutes and she felt like she was preaching for small boys on how they ought to play nicely with the neighbours children. When she had finished talking of the prosperity she hoped that both parties would meet in the future collaboration, the halls roof was once again lifted by the applaud. Kazuya stepped forward so he stood next to her once again, Jun stepped a step to the side when she saw him approach her. They stood equally next to each other taking up the same amount of space. He reached his hand out to her and she shook his hand, there was a smile on his lips but it wasn't the smile she had seen on some rare occasions. It was false only to their joy, it was mechanical and he knew how to execute it well. They took pictures of them before Jun was pushed aside by her own superior, she stepped aside and eventually off the platform. Takeshi offered his hand to help her down.

"So how was it?" he asked she looked confused at him for she had not understood what he meant.

"What do you mean?" she asked him greatly confused by his question, she looked over her shoulder when they started to walk back to the table and she saw Kazuya drown in the blitz from the many cameras and the crowd of journalists that now had surrounded him and she realized that she had played her part. He would gain great publicity so would the organization and they would all live happily ever after in the darkness, for they belonged to him.

"Your 5 minutes of fame, of course" he said with a grin on his lips.

"I could do with out them to be honest," she told him honestly with a smile on her lips as she poured down the last of her drink. Many hours passed in the hall as the press got some interviews and when they had been escorted out the attendants could dine and talk in peace. Jun finally decided to leave as she felt she had played her part and now she had to return to her spot behind the scenes. When Takeshi saw her motioning towards the door he offered to walk with her, he did not know that she had a room in the very same hotel the arrangement had been held.

"You really don't have to walk with me," she told him blushing lightly when he took her arm and placed it under his own.

"Come on how far do you live from her? We'll take a cab if you don't want to walk, although I must say it is a great night for a walk" he told her and she was bewildered by the joy in his voice.

"No I mean it honestly, I have a room upstairs" she explained further, she didn't accept or refuse his offer of taking a walk or a cab.

"Well aren't you moving a little too fast" he told her with the same odd grin that reassured her that what he had just said was a joke and he meant nothing by it. But when they parted he had slipped a note into her hand. She looked at him with a smile on her lips, one thing she could say for sure was that he didn't give up easily. She stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for her floor, she leaned up against the back wall of the elevator as she started to peel off her stilettos. She saw a foot quickly block for the door so it couldn't close and the foot belonged to Kazuya Mishima whom she wished she wouldn't see more of this night. He stood quietly in front of her at first but as he saw her taking her shoes off and loosening her waistcoat a little chuckle escaped Kazuya. Jun stood quietly behind him and didn't feel any need to talk to him yet she found herself observing him closely when he pressed the button to a floor. She got out before him and she could feel his eyes on her back as she walked out and down the hallway. When she finally had entered her room it was quiet, no activity of any kind Michelle didn't seem to be in. Jun changed her clothes and felt a great relief when she slipped into something more casual and relaxing. The moonlight shone in through the windows, again she found herself staring into the darkness of the night. She looked at the other apartments were there was light, probably inhabited by two, two was always better than one. She couldn't understand what crime she was receiving punishment for, what could she possibly have done that was so cruel that she had to be punished by being robbed the company of others? She walked to the phone in her room and fingered the note in her fingers and the button he had pressed in her mind.

She stood in front of his door once again frozen and too afraid to knock. She knocked carefully, if he would notice the knock it would be fine with her and if he didn't it would fine with her too. Either way she was in for a surprise. She could hear his feet move inside the room as if they were confused on whether or not he had heard a knocking coming from the door. She lifted her arm again and knocked on the door. She stood quietly waiting; she didn't want to say his name out loud, she didn't want to ask him if he was there, and if he was then to be kind enough to open the door. She didn't want him to know that it was her, for she doubted that he would open the door if he knew it was her. Why should he open the door? She had only rejected him twice.

Then the door opened and she stood face to face with him.

"How can I help you?" he asked her very casually. She looked up at him and he could recognize the look in her eyes, he had come to her last night with the very same look in his eyes, regret and apologies. He walked to the side with the doorknob in his hand opening the door more and she entered into the darkness of his room. She looked around herself and eventually she found a chair to sit in. She didn't know what she should do of herself and most of all she didn't know what she was doing in his room.

"So Miss Kazama, don't tell me that you came here because you found some kind of error in the contract?" he asked her with a smile on his lips. She looked up at him surprised that he was in such a relaxed mood. She watched him as he took of his jacket and threw it on the bed; he sat down on the bed and started to take his shoes off. He wouldn't bother asking her how she had found out what room he was staying in, she was a bright girl and could easily find out if she really had wanted to.

"No Kazuya, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you" she spoke to him with a smile on her lips Kazuya looked up at her in surprise; she had spoken to him by first name for the very first time.

"You said my first name so I'm guessing it's pretty serious" he continued to joke as he unbuttoned the buttons on his sleeve end and pulled the sleeves up. He unbuttoned a couple of the top buttons on his shirt and looked up at her. She behaved oddly tonight last night she had asked him to leave and now she had come to him.

"Kazuya I need to know why you came to me?" she asked him, when she had spoken the words Kazuya stopped dead in his tracks and looked at her. She meant what she had said she wanted to know. Kazuya turned the question in his mind once and then twice, he didn't know what he should tell her. Should he tell her the truth? Should he tell her that he didn't know why he was attracted to her? That he felt there was a weird aura around her that drew him in and forced him to be near her. That he felt a sudden lust and thirst for her when ever she was around and when she wasn't his eyes searched for her. Her scent was intoxication and her warmth was different than any other women's sent. Should he tell her that he never had been so excited around a woman and he had a difficult time controlling himself every time he was around her? He pushed his thoughts aside telling himself it was impossible to have such thoughts when he didn't even know her. He couldn't even control his own mind any longer for he knew that she would be the topic his mind soon would return to no matter how hard he tried to ignore her and push her out of his mind, she would find her way back into his mind. She was only harder to ignore when she was in his little room.

"I don't know I just ended up at your doorstep," he told her instead of the truth; he couldn't face her eyes while he lied to her so he looked every where else but her eyes. Jun looked at him; she had feared he would say that that he coincidentally ended up at her doorstep. She noticed that it was the first time he was avoiding her eyes; he had always kept eye contact with her no matter what the situation.

"I didn't end up in your room by coincidence, Kazuya" she confessed to him. Kazuya looked up at her and something in his eyes had changed, they weren't cold anymore nor did they have the fake sparkle. She got up from the chair and hugged her cardigan close around her body. She walked to the glass doors that lead out to the balcony she stood there and stared out the doors. She looked up to the skies and wished that her prayers would be heard for once. She stood in this mans room not knowing why but that was what she wanted and she willing to find out along the way. She was ready to pour her heart out to this man when he himself didn't have the answer to why he came to her.

"I received a letter from my father yesterday, I didn't tell you that did I? He wrote that he was proud of me and that I always should remember to have my heart with me" she told him stopping once in a while to hold awkward pauses, Kazuya sat with his back turned to her as he was staring at the wall in front of him "and can you guess where my heart took me?" she looked up again she could see Kazuya's reflection in the glass door. He stood behind her he was just looking at her he couldn't make his body respond to any other action. She eventually leaned up against the glass door her forehead felt the glass doors unpleasant cold surface yet it was better than not feeling anything at all. He wouldn't respond to what she had told him. He didn't even know that she had poured her heart out to him which was much harder to do then placing her lips on his, like he had done. She watched the traffic pass by as she stood by the door, they progressed they were in movement she couldn't remember the last time she had moved, she had been standing still for the longest time that she couldn't remember how to do anything else. She breathed heavily and felt herself fall off the edge; she wouldn't waste his time or her own time. The smile on his lips and the dim sparkle in his eye was all he had to offer.

Suddenly she felt the fabric on her shoulder be pressed down by a heavy hand, she stood still she had become numb waiting for an answer. She felt the hand force her to turn she turned and stared straight ahead, she stared at the wall behind him, she had become indifferent. He had taken to long a time to answer. Eventually she looked up at him as he stepped a step closer to her and held her tightly, as she rested her head on his shoulder he could feel his shoulder get wet as tears ran down her cheek. He kissed her forehead.

"Did it by any coincidence bring you to me?" he asked her, with a crooked smile on his lips.

They had both found someone to walk with in their lonely solitude, they had both screamed desperately so someone would hear their cries yet no one had heard them. Now they both had found each other wandering in the darkness.

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Haha… they finally hooked up I've got to say it took me some time!


	13. Chapter 13 Pure Intentions?

Hi to any one reading!  
First of all I want apologize the long wait, I bought a new laptop and things had to get transferred and beginning at the university isn't really easy to handle. But now i've got my foot down on everything so I am back again with regular updates.  
Rating has changed due to some more mature content and themes.

A big thanks to BMC for the kind review I hope you enjoy this chapter.

I hope you have a great time reading and tell me if you think I can do anything better!  
ascho

Chapter 13 - Pure intentions?

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Jun walked into her apartment and closed the door behind her leaving all the noises from the hall behind her. She didn't want to face Michelle once again, for she knew she would ask her questions, where had she been all night and who had she been with but now she would ask her where she had been the last couple of days. Jun knew that in any situation she wouldn't answer Michelle's questions but even if she did, she knew what her reaction would be like.

So she did what she could to avoid her, it was only necessary for Jun to encounter her one more time and then it would be over and she would be free from her. She had suddenly become an unpleasant face to look at and an unpleasant voice to hear. She had thought that they shared the same hopes to save the nature, but she had been wrong. They had shared nothing she wanted revenge and she herself had come in hope for reason and understanding. They had come with different visions, Michelle would force him to bow to her will but she didn't wish to force him into anything, she had only ever wanted a peaceful way of living. She opened the windows to let the cool summer wind in, she longed once again for the clean air of Yakushima. She wiped the sweat from her forehead; she had been forced to run all the way to her home from the arena. The paparazzi had been after her following her everywhere she went and took pictures of anyone she talked with.

It had been a few days now, she remembered it all clearly how the look on his face had been. He was surprised to see her at his doorstep. They had seen each other at any given chance and he turned up on her doorstep more frequently. At least there was one thing in her life that seemed to work out, although she couldn't see the end of the tunnel and if there was light in the end of the tunnel. She hoped and prayed to god that there was, that he let the light shine, Jun sighed deeply, a sigh that was too deep for a woman of her young age. She knew it, what she was doing was wrong but she had to know if he meant it and if the so called co-operation was meant with an honest heart instead of being a deception just to silence them and get the press out of his way. Jun sighed deeply again as she turned the water on. She felt the cold water run down her hand and felt her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach. She had barely survived her match against Kunimitsu, the tournament was sharpening and what she wanted to do required that she stayed in the tournament as long as possible. She wouldn't play this game, his game, in a dirty way she wouldn't use him she would use the tournament. Use the tournament, was it even possible?

Jun stepped into her office she had requested a meeting with her superior, she had decided to let him enjoy the publicity for a few days and then confront him once again hoping she could bring some sense into him. It seemed like he had been blinded by the publicity and acknowledgement of their hard work. Jun looked all over her desk looking for the files she had on the Mishima Zaibatsu. Eventually she gave up her search as she had looked through her desk and every file cabinet. She sat down in her chair and turned away from the window and it struck her. She walked to her superior's office; she slammed the door behind her. He looked up at her as if it was a reaction he had expected.

"Where are the files?" she asked him not caring about wrapping her accusation in.

"Let it go Jun, the case is over you closed it three days ago"

"Just tell me where the files are" Jun asked him again "You are the only one delusional enough to believe that this case is closed!" Jun told him knowing very well that she had crossed the line along time ago.

"Jun relax, you may be one of the greatest we have had in this office but I won't take that tone from you" he told her as he got up from the chair. Jun started to look in his file archives looking for the files on the Mishima Zaibatsu. She moved fast and frantically through the files.

"Jun I told you its over now sit down" he ordered her with an authority she had never heard before "You really think I believe what he is saying, I have no choice but to believe what he is telling us" he told her as persuasively as he could while sitting down again. He knew that the look in her eyes meant she didn't believe anything he said, she had never looked at him like that, but he knew her well enough to recognise such a look.

"So what you are trying to tell me is that you are backing down willingly?"

"Yes, we can't do anything, he approached us but we can't do anything unless he steps out of line" he told her the truth, he felt disgusted himself as he pronounced the words. They were impossible for him to speak, but they were necessary.

"So you are just going to sit around and wait till he does so, do you think he'll tell you when he steps out of line?" Jun asked him disgusted by his will to sit around and wait for something to go wrong.

"And furthermore Jun you are withdrawing from the tournament we got what we wanted, so there is no need for you to get messed into something ugly" he said looking at her he refused to answer her question. It wasn't relevant if he was willing to wait and see if something went wrong, he knew they couldn't do anything and he knew that Kazuya only would hide his experimentation's and it was only a question of time, if they were lucky, till they would expose him.

"I'm not going to withdraw" Jun told him "I'm taking a vacation and participating till I loose" Jun told him with a stern face "Unless you are unwilling to give me vacation then I quiet" she told him crossing her legs and leaning back in the chair.

"Well, if you are so determined take a nice long vacation" he told her while getting a file from his desk "Don't come back until you feel fresh and ready for work" he told her and returned his eyes to the papers on his desk.

"I give up then have it your way but I'm still going to participate in the tournament" she told him as it as the only defiance she was capable of producing as her eyes ran across the file put down on the desk in front of her.

"You have to trust me we can't do anything illegal then he would surely have us shut down" he told her frustrated by her persistence and the fact that she wouldn't understand or accept defeat "It all has to be legal or we'll be closed down permanently for illegal actions" he told her before she left his office with a file in her hand. Jun walked across the office everyone was staring at her and she sighed deeply taking the card off and putting it in her pocket she was going on vacation. She hadn't had a vacation for the longest time and she didn't know if she knew how to take a vacation any longer. She fell into her own chair and turned around to look through the windows, the sky suddenly looked much bigger almost infinite and it had been cold before but just for a while and just for glimpse it had seemed warm and inviting.

She left the office silently and when her colleagues asked her why she was going she told them that she finally had gotten that well deserved vacation with a smile on her lips. When the doors of the elevator closed the smile evaporated from her lips, they didn't know that she was forced to take a vacation she didn't want. The office doors closed behind her and she stood on the street, she suddenly felt a relief and yet she didn't know what she should do next. She couldn't go back to the hotel she had laid out her strategy; avoid Michelle till she could pick her things up and leave the hotel.

Jun walked down to the nearest supermarket and started to gather supplies for her apartment. She had noticed that several things were missing and some plants that had died would need replacements. She was in her own thoughts as she moved through the supermarket.

"Go on vacation; go on vacation he said to me!" Jun thought to herself "Maybe it'll do me some good" she thought to herself when she noticed a familiar face in front of her. She smiled gently to him he had apparently noticed her a long while before she had discovered that it was him.

"Hi Lei" she spoke lightly and nodded with her head. He seemed tenser than his usual self even though his body was tense and represented something that bothered his mind, his eyes were telling her something else. She wanted to walk past him thinking that maybe the usual nod and greeting would be enough for this situation but she knew herself that this situation required something more. He had that look in his eyes again.

"Hi, how are you doing?" he asked her with what seemed to her like real concern. Jun walked a little picking some grocery up while she thought of what she should answer him. Was he genuinely interested in hearing how she was doing and most of all did he want to hear the truth? Did he really want to hear that she was doing great and that she really didn't want to see Michelle again? That she had been seeing Kazuya Mishima, she didn't know herself if she could call it dating. They were spending time together and it would always evolve in the same direction. They would end up kissing and they didn't do much else, her knees got weak just by thinking of his kisses. The way his hand would carry themselves over her skin, touching her lightly but never laying his hand down on her skin. Every time he came by he would kiss her lightly as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and he would walk right past her into her home. He had been a guest in her house and now he had become a part of her home, others would call it a successful invasion.

"I'm doing just fine, what about you?" Jun answered him shortly doubting the fact the he would want to know that she had been kissing Kazuya Mishima. Jun shortly made eye contact with him and returned her gaze to the shelf's of the supermarket.

"I'm surviving, why haven't you been by the hotel?" Lei uttered with genuine concern, Jun had feared that question she hoped that he wouldn't ask her but he did and now she had to face it.

"I've been busy with work and just need to rest, away from everyone" she told him all of it was truth and it applied for everyone who were staying at the hotel. She didn't want to see any of them because they had all come for the same reason they all wanted to claim the price Kazuya Mishima had promised and the title of being the one to defeat him wasn't all that unattractive.

"Right, congratulations with the new agreement" he told her with a smile on his lips, he had been impressed by how she had been able to persuade him to join such an agreement.

"Thanks" Jun answered shortly trying to keep the conversation at a minimum. Fearing the next words he might speak and the worst of all what his next question would be.

"You are taking care of yourself aren't you?" Lei asked her, he knew he was stepping out of line but as a friend he only wanted to know if she was taking care of herself. He was concerned for her it was nothing more than that he told himself.

"Of course I am what are you talking about Lei?" Jun answered and asked him knowing exactly what he had meant "Lei you shouldn't be concerned for me, I know how to take care of myself" she answered his question while placing her hand on his arm and he knew she was right. She knew what she was doing and what she was getting herself into. She wasn't the child they believed her to be and she most of all wasn't an innocent woman who needed protection. She doubted that they thought of her like a human being a woman with needs and even a sex life. Lei had been taken by her answer she had answered him in her usual tone but the unusual harshness seemed extreme for her.

"Sorry, I was only worried for you" Lei asked for her forgiveness he had somehow managed to step on her toes. Then he understood that it might be more serious than she had given impression of, she had brushed it off like something insignificant.

"Well, I'll see you again sometime, take care of yourself" Lei said as he left her in the supermarket standing in an aisle with tinned food. Jun watched him walk away and wondered why he suddenly had been taken by her response. She reminded herself that she mostly wasn't the person they thought she was, she was damaged herself and she didn't have time to look after others.

Jun walked up the streets to her apartment holding two bags of grocery; she tried to walk in a fair speed trying to keep the paparazzi at a distance. The air had become cold and it hardly seemed like summer, but the summer was coming to an end and autumn was already knocking on the door impatiently waiting for its turn. The sky was painted in warm colours but never had such a cold wind run through the streets of Tokyo, not even the warm feelings the colours spread were enough to warm her. Jun had never seen the city so pale and washed out but this time she didn't mind, she had other things to think of, more pleasant things.

Jun walked into her apartment which smelled more and more like Kazuya and yet there was the stuffy smell and feel to her apartment, no matter how many times she left the windows open while at work it was determined to stay. She made her way to the door to the balcony opening it and every other window in her apartment she made her way to the kitchen. She turned the TV on and left it on some random channel, she hated the silence. She couldn't bear it anymore it was everywhere in her mind. Now she just wanted some racket in the background, something to drown the cries in her mind. Suddenly she heard a knocking on her door and she knew who it was, he never used the bell he knocked. It was more discreet, he had once told her that the bells were more startling than anything else. She hadn't even noticed how late it was, she had usually eaten dinner or it was cooking and he would come and join her. She walked to the door with some grocery in her hand, she opened the door and he met her with a smile.

"Hi" he said and walked in closing the door behind him he kissed her lightly first then he took another step into the apartment, the taste of her lips suddenly struck him and then he kissed her more passionately once he had tasted her lips.

"Hi to you too" she said out of breath, she watched him taking his shoes off and his jacket placing everything where it ought to be. He looked up at her and noticed the look in her eyes, she seemed surprised but at the same time it was as if he had invaded her personal space by knowing where everything went.

"I've been here enough times to know where everything goes," he told her taking a hold of her again and kissing her cheek reassuringly. She smiled as a reply and walked back to the kitchen, Kazuya first sat down on the couch breathing in slowly and calming himself down after a days work. Jun could see him from the kitchen it had a counter, it had seemed so open when she first looked at the place. Jun amused herself with the thought of her bringing him a cold drink and letting him rest in front of the TV while she served him the perfect meal and she would ask him about his day at work. She couldn't imagine herself as a domestic housewife but at the moment it didn't seem so repulsive. Kazuya took some more deep breaths he laid his head back on the couch and rested for a while. He looked over at her and she was putting everything where it belonged, he saw her stand on her toes to put something on the top shelf. Then he noticed she hadn't changed clothes and that meant that she must have arrived only minutes before he came himself.

"Come sit with me for a while" he requested from her Jun looked over her shoulder when she heard his request. She smiled to him when she sat down next to him, she pulled her blouse over her head so she only wore her top underneath. She let her hair loose from the knot; she shook her hair and rested her head on the couch. They sat silently a while enjoying the peace they had. Kazuya placed his hand on hers he squeezed it lightly and let it go. Jun laid her head down on his lap looking up at the ceiling; Kazuya ran his hand through her hair combing it lightly.

"How has your day been?" Kazuya asked her breaking the silence, Jun blinked twice as she thought over the question. She couldn't tell him that she had advised her boss to keep on investigating and he of all people had told her to trust him.

"You really shouldn't ask me, I have had one of the worst days and it feels like I'm barely managing to hold on" she told him truthfully without telling him the reason. Kazuya looked at her with true concern displayed in his eyes, he kissed her lightly on her forehead.

"Let me cook for you tonight" he proposed to her. Jun turned her eyes to him once again, he could see from the look in her eyes that she was confused.

"You cook?" she asked him, doubting his capability of producing an eatable meal.

"You doubt me? Even if I have people to cook for me I am perfectly gifted to create a meal" he told her with a smile on his lips.

"Then let me at least help you" she told him tying her hair up in a ponytail and pulling the rest of her hair away with a headband. Kazuya got up first and unbuttoned his sleeve end and pulled them up, he helped her up from the couch. When they entered the kitchen he had already taken charge when he was checking her cupboards for something to cook. He assigned her the easy task of chopping the vegetables. He had set his mind to making some wok food, which seemed like the fastest way of producing a meal.

Jun's mind drifted as she stood in the kitchen taking orders from Kazuya. She imagined herself ten years in the future, she wondered what it would look like and if he would be there too. She shook the idea out of her mind as she proceeded to slice the vegetables. Jun stopped when she first saw pictures of Kazuya in the TV. The woman reported about the both of them and how Kazuya more frequently turned up at her doorstep and left late at night. He seemed completely untouched by the so called news running over the screen. He moved around her kitchen with the same rate and same determination.

"You have to keep going if you want dinner" she heard Kazuya complaining when he couldn't hear her slice the vegetables anymore. He turned to her and looked over her shoulders; he was right she had stopped slicing, he snaked his arms around her and placed his hands on hers and began to slice the vegetables with her. He controlled every single move her hands made; he sliced them neatly when you think about the fact that he wasn't holding the knife himself.

"I've never tried cooking like this before…" Jun confessed to Kazuya and smiled deviously, Kazuya only smiled and kissed her neck lightly. Jun moaned with pleasure when she felt his lips on her skin. Kazuya continued to kiss her and she turned in his embrace and planted her lips on his.

"I thought you wanted to get dinner ready?" she asked him when she broke the kiss.

The racket of the TV was broken by the cry of Kazuya's phone; he tore himself away from Jun with great difficulty and answered it. Jun continued to cook when she noticed that Kazuya had stepped outside to answer the call, he had closed the door to the balcony behind him. He had done it many times whenever he received a call near her he would walk away from her to take the call or simply step outside, so she couldn't hear him. She wasn't innocent herself, she had done it many times herself too. It was usually when these phone calls took place that her doubt would rise up in her again, she stood in the kitchen observing him as he walked back and forth on her balcony. He didn't seem distressed as he was talking on the phone he was as casual and relaxed as he could be with one hand placed in his pocket. He nodded sometimes and spoke a few words, sometimes he would lift his head up and look at her, she met his eyes and smiled to him she didn't know what else there was for her to do. He was a man taking care of his business.

Jun stood by the wok staring down at the vegetable content, when she felt his hands on her waist. He kissed her chin as he took over the cooking again, she never asked him who it was. She knew what it was about business as usual, she didn't feel a need to know who he was talking to, somehow she felt that it would better if she didn't know at all who it was or what they talked about. She didn't want to disturb anything; she liked the peace and quiet she had found suddenly. She left Kazuya alone in the kitchen as she walked to her bedroom; the light had started to fade and the shadows grew longer by the second in her bedroom, she turned the light on chasing the shadows away her hand stroked the switch once again and the darkness once again engulfed the bedroom and the shadows reached out to her welcoming her into the darkness. She took her clothes of and looked for something else, she could feel the cold wind stroking her bare skin and she wondered how she still could feel it she had long thought that she had become numb. She found the shorts and the top she used to relax in, in the weekends she slipped it over herself and released her hair from their restraints. Instantly she felt her body relax. She felt the stress of the outside world leave her instantly, she pulled a robe with kimono patterns over the clothing covering herself some more. She walked out to the bathroom and washed her face, she could hear Kazuya's footsteps and then he was there standing in the doorway.

"Are you all right?" he asked her worried, he moved towards her and she lifted her face up from the sink looking straight at him. He took the towel and dried her face lightly and gently, she just kept staring at him.

"I'm fine" she replied quietly holding his hand to prevent him from drying her face with the towel. He ran his hand through her hair asking her once again if she was all right. He looked into her eyes seeking the answer.

"Honestly I'm fine" she answered him trying to reinsure him that she was fine, she was clutching on to the necklace her father had given to her and prayed to god that she didn't fail.

"Dinners ready" he told her knowing that if the moment and the time was right she might share what she had on her heart with him. He took her hand and she followed him willingly, everything was ready when she entered the living room.

They sat silently while eating their dinner; the insufferable silence would always occur whenever one of them received a phone call. Both would sit silently wondering what it all was about.

"How is it?" Kazuya asked her finally breaking the silence; she ate some more before she answered him.

"Its great" she answered him while chewing the last she leaned back in her couch almost sinking into it and disappearing. Kazuya leaned in on her and looked examining at her, his forehead frowned and he smiled when Jun looked up at him, she was clearly confused by his look.

"And…" was the only thing he said and she immediately understood what he meant.

"And you are perfectly capable of cooking a meal, a very enjoyable meal" she replied with a laughter, admitting that he was perfectly capable of cooking a meal "I'm actually very surprised" she confessed to him "You really know how to cook I wonder what else you can?" she asked him with a teasing smile. Kazuya leaned in on her and kissed her lightly, Jun replied his kiss and felt him move closer to her. He was hovering over her and she was lying under him as he had moved in over her pulling her down on the couch. They were exchanging passionate kisses when Jun felt something warm creep up her thigh pulling her shorts down with the other hand and she knew by the feeling that it indeed was Kazuya's hand. He had pulled her shorts down as he had been caressing her and she had only encouraged him, she loved the feeling of his hand on her skin. His warm hand on her cold skin, Kazuya grew more impatient and it was clear to Jun what he wanted. She returned his many eager kisses, until he started to trail his kisses down her neck and onto her chest. He lingered there kissing her several times. She lifted her back up from the couch and pushed kazuya up again as she untied the ribbon around her waist. Kazuya pulled the kimono gently off of her shoulders and traced his hands back up to her face. His hands rested under her face and looked at her. She looked at him and realised that she never had seen such a look in his eyes, he was hesitating.

"Kazuya..." she whispered to him gently and placed her hand on his cheek as if the simplest touch and warmth would be enough to wake him. Kazuya had disappeared into his own thoughts but pushed them aside when he felt her warm and caring caress. He looked at her again and she could feel the presence in his eyes for again they were filled with the little warmth he possessed. He kissed her once again except this time his kiss was different, much more warmth was invested in the kisses he showered her with.

Jun laid back down on the couch as she for the longest time hadn't felt such emotions rush through her body, she surrendered herself to Kazuya. He could have her that very moment she didn't care at what price it was, losing some friends or her soul.

She started to unbutton his shirt as he continued to kiss her more passionately, they had both forgotten their troubles as they continued to kiss each other.

He didn't want to go back to the black hole he crawled out of every morning, he wanted to see this women everyday and he couldn't keep himself away from her. No matter how hard he tried he had to see her and he wanted her badly. He wasn't alone he had finally found out, he wasn't the only one who had been dealt the wrong cards by fate. He knew the woman lying beneath him carried more dark secrets than he could imagine and he knew she had been dealt just as bad cards as himself. He felt an urge to lick her wounds, to be the one to make her feel safe at night. He wanted to be the one to chase the shadows away at night. He wanted to be able to stretch his arm out at night and feel her warm skin. She was to great a pleasure to be denied.

Jun forgot the shadows that lingered over her at day and stood before her at night. She wanted to be lost in his arms, they provided great security. She could finally breathe in the godforsaken place she had chosen to call home. She just might be able to change him, to turn him into a better man. She might not have failed yet, Jun pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She wasn't the one her family had doomed her to be, she wouldn't succumb to the destiny they had laid out for her. She would lay out her own destiny she would change it, she wouldn't become what they wanted her to be. She had fought it so long and she wouldn't give up now she wouldn't let them win.

Once again the silence was broken by the ringing of a phone, they both continued hoping it would stop soon. They both recognised that it was his, he stopped for a moment and looked her in the eyes. She looked at him waiting for his decision, he clearly wasn't capable of making one.

"Answer it or you'll regret it..." she advised him as she lifted her head up to his ear, he looked at her again. He kissed her before he rose from the couch and walked away to pick up his phone. She watched him as he straightened his hair and buttoned his shirt before he once again walked out on the balcony. Jun turned on the couch so she faced its back, she lay there quietly for a while hoping he would return soon. She suddenly noticed how the dust irritated her eyes and how they started to water. Jun rubbed her eyes with great strength until the water had around her eyes and her eyes were sore and red. She pulled the kimono up over her shoulders again and tied the ribbon tightly around her waist and she pulled her shorts back to where they belonged and suddenly she felt a rush of embarrassment and humiliation rush over her soul and her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach.

She rose from the couch and picked up the glasses and plates from the table, she placed them in the sink and drowned them in water.

"I'm sorry" she heard his voice say, she looked up at him and smiled. She had accepted his apology, what he wouldn't know was how humiliated she had felt the moment he had started considering to leave her half naked to answer a phone call. He tried to look her in the eyes whenever he was about to reach her eyes she would reject the contact with him. He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her frail body, she didn't react to his touch.

"I'm sorry but I have to leave..." he murmured into her ear, Jun prevented a sigh from leaving her lips. He kissed her lightly on her cheek and left her alone in the kitchen, Jun stood there lonely bathed in the synthetic light.

She heard the door close behind him and lock automatically.

Kazuya walked down the stairs and the whole hall seemed more gloomy than he ever before had noticed it, he noticed the painting peeling off in the corner and the prams standing all lined up under the staircase. they were all black and looked as if they had been standing there too long.

Kazuya walked onto the street outside and the night struck him cold and unmerciful, he lighted a cigarette drawing its warmth from it. He never smoked, he hated the whole phenomenon of smoking. He had never understood why people smoked, why would anyone want to damage their own body and disrespect it in such a manner? And yet he always carried a pack with him. Soon he was disgusted by the taste of the cigarette, and crushed it under his shoe. Kazuya unlocked his car and started it up when he found himself comfortably seated behind the steering wheel.

He drove away from her home, he saw the building complex get smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror.

The night and path ahead of him were enveloped in darkness.


	14. Chapter 14 Instincts

Hi  
Here you have the new chapter of Life in Press, I apologize for the late update but there was unfortunately an assignment I had to write and inspiration decided to leave me for a while. I hate it when it happens but it does at times so I wait till I can think of something good to write and then I post it.

Many thanks to Tekkenfan for the review

I hope you enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think  
Ascho

Chapter 14 - Instincts

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Jun woke late in the morning, the image of Kazuya leaving her apartment was still fresh in her mind. She turned over in the bed, she was lying in a bed that was to big for her it was empty and cold. She stretched her arm out into the sun and felt its life giving rays on her cold and pale skin. She lifted herself up from the bed and threw the sheets off of herself and sat on the edge of the bed. She sat there silently for a while as she gratefully received the rays of the sun warming her skin.

She walked into her bathroom and felt the coldness of the tiles creep up her body and under her skin, she felt the little warmth the sun had provided her with disappear through out her body and the coldness was again evident. She bathed her face in cold water and suddenly she felt herself wake up.

She brushed her teeth and took a hard look at herself, she didn't doubt the thought that crawled to her mind. She had nothing to offer him, she certainly didn't have anything that could keep him away from his work.

Jun spat the paste out of her mouth when she remembered the previous night.

She looked at herself once again, when would he know?

Jun decided that the time had come she had to retrieve her things from the hotel, and now was just as good as any other time. She walked out to onto the street below, the cold summer air surprised her as it crawled up her bare legs and under her black dress. She glanced to both sides looking for any suspicious activity then Jun discovered how paranoid she had become from participating in the tournament. She couldn't move around without being attentive to any minor detail. Suddenly she felt herself become grateful if she could walk in peace and with her own thoughts in mind and not drowning in any current. Jun reached the hotel in peace and yet she was on guard, she suspected that some participants might feel a sudden urge to share their thoughts with her, she knew it wouldn't be much sharing it would be nothing but a lecture to her. They would all tell her what kind of a bastard he was, they would tell her what cruelties he was capable of carrying out. She entered the elevator peacefully and was lucky enough to not meet anyone on her way, she noticed how the young women behind the reception had started to whisper when they saw her enter the elevator and the doors were closed. Jun allowed herself to breathe again she was relieved from the pressure she had felt when she walked through the doors of the hotel. She was amused by how confined gave her a sense of freedom, when other people strived for open spaces and clear skies and yet she found her freedom in this small boxes. She enjoyed the silence and peace she felt for she knew it was temporary.

Jun walked with light and quick steps through the hallway as she played with her keycard between her fingers. She heard someone turn the door handle of their room and she fumbled with her card even quicker desperate to enter her room so she could be in peace from the judging eyes. When Jun stepped inside she breathed heavily relieved from anxiousness she had felt rise above her and drown her. She looked around quickly there was no sign of Michelle anywhere, she hoped that she could the hotel before her return so they didn't have any awkward meeting or exchange of words. She waled to her room and closed the door behind her, everything was where she had left it nothing had moved on even the sheets of the bed were lying in the same mess. The mess she had left behind.

Jun packed all her things in a hurry and fought to press the last of her clothes and hygiene products into the bag. At last she looked at it proudly as she saw it contained everything she had brought with her, and yet she felt defeated when she realised that it looked like it would burst any minute She placed the bag next to the main door and when she was about to leave she remembered something else. She ran back into the room and opened the nightstands top drawer. She looked at the book lying inside the drawer, her copy of Jane Eyre was still lying there she turned to chapter twenty-three and found it intact lying there securely between two pages. The flower was dry now and its once bright red colour had faded and the once silk soft petals were curling up in the ends resisting the straightening from the book pages the colour only remained in the tip of the petals. Jun picked the flower gently and turned it in the light, it had become small and fragile since its delivery. She carried the book in her hands with a smile and exited her room happily. She looked up and to her surprise Michelle was standing in front of her.

"Leaving?" she asked Jun looking briefly at her and then at her bags, her tone told her everything there was needed to know.

"I'm afraid so" Jun answered quietly and turned the book nervously in her hands.

"Why are you leaving?" Michelle asked her, she hadn't seen her awhile and yet she understood that she wasn't the one who had the most positive things to say about Kazuya.

"I don't want to be in the middle of this tournament any more, I need a calm and stabile environment" she said quietly and walked towards her bag.

"I can't believe you're doing this!" it suddenly bursted out of Michelle, she turned around to look at her "You're leaving this place so you can spend more time with that man? Is that it? So you can avoid us? Well I'm sorry if we are giving you a bad conscience" She told her unable to believe that she wanted to jeopardise everything for a man she barely knew a man who was cruel and heartless.

"I'm not doing it to spend time with him, there are other aspects of my life that doesn't include him" she answered her and took a hold of the handle.

"He really has tricked you hasn't he? Listen to yourself!" she said finally speaking her thoughts out loud "He really targeted you didn't he? What aspects of your life includes him?" she spoke in disbelief, she hadn't thought that of all women that Jun would be the one to fall for his tricks.

"Targeted me? Tricked me?" Jun said in disbelief and let go of the door handle "What do you think of me? Do I look like such an innocent and gullible fool who wouldn't notice him and be surprised by his advances? That I would just surrender to him?" Jun asked her when she had turned around to face her, irritation was building up in her "Aspects of my life I do not need to tell you about or ask for your approval! I don't need your sympathy and most of all you don't need to victimise me" she told her as the irritation kept on building up in her.

"Jun I'm concerned for you, you haven't exactly chosen an innocent man to associate with be careful of what you risk for that man" Michelle said and expressed her true concern for the first time in their heated conversation.

"What does it mean to you who I decide to associate with? You could care less you know. For someone who told me to be careful with the press you seem to believe what they tell you! Not once have you asked me what was going on and how I felt. Have you ever considered that a man can change?" Jun told her in a low voice denying to take the argument on a higher decibel.

"You love him don't you, listen to yourself you're defending a man who commits several crimes and doesn't seem to repent the least bit! He probably doesn't have a single trace of sympathy and moral in his body" Michelle questioned her hoping that if she said what others thought out loud she might realise the fatal mistake she was making.

"Have you ever thought that some people need help to change, that some people walk in a world where the only place they ever will be granted is within the contained spaces that society has laid out for them? That they will always be judged by them and their expectations no matter how much they change? or try to the live up to the expectations?" Jun spoke as she rose her voice "I don't need you to judge him for me, and I would be more than happy if you kept what you think to know about him and whatever kind of relationship you think we share to yourself, I don't need your protection!" she spoke to her and it was first when she had uttered the words that she realised how harsh they were and how they hung heavily in the air.

"I can tell you one thing you've changed..."

"I don't need you to judge me and I don't need your approval. I can take care of myself" she told her before she could finish her sentence, her tone was more harsh than what was needed.

"You should know that I desire him just as much as he desires me..." She told her and barely avoided answering her statement, whether she loved him or not, she opened the door and left with her bags in her hand. Michelle stood astonished behind the closed door, she was astonished whatever that man had done to her he had her in the palm his hand. Jun's head started to spin in the hallway and she supported herself to a wall trying to keep herself on her feet. Suddenly everyone treated her as if she was fraternising with the enemy, everyone were displaying their so-called concern to her.

Jun sat in a taxi and looked back at the hotel, it was another closed chapter in her life. She had never thought that she would fight with another human being just to justify why she lived and carried on in her life as she did. Jun rested her head on the window and saw the city pass by, the people walking on the streets became mere shadows among the lines of bright light that were the advertising signs. She was right, she had changed. He effected her ways she never thought were possible. She hadn't made up her mind whether it was a good change or a bad change, all she knew for certainty was she wanted him around she wanted to see more of him. She wanted to see what kind of man he was.

Who was she to deny a man who finally paid attention to the pains in her life and didn't run from her? He could be… Jun didn't dare to let her thoughts venture any farther, fearing the fruit her hopeful thoughts might carry. The forbidden fruit, the fruit everyone made their task not to let her taste or even smell to its devastating sweetness. Jun closed her eyes leaving the hopeful dreams she had for her future in the darkest corner of her mind, why did her mind tempt her with such unattainable and delusional dreams. She knew she could never have them, yet she comforted herself with the thought that she could always try. Even if that was all she could have.

Jun stepped out in front of the Mishima Zaibatsu carrying her bag with her, she walked into his quarters. She headed straight for the elevator and pressed the only button the button that would lead her to his floor. The floor above all other floors the only floor worthy of having him walking its halls and inhabiting its rooms. Jun stepped out of the elevator and found herself relieved when a silver haired man didn't greet her. She placed the bag near some chairs and went behind the desk the silver haired inhabited or rather was chained to. She quickly flipped through the pages of the calendar and found that he had no meetings or any other engaging appointments. She pushed the heavy door open and slipped inside closing it behind her afraid of making any noise. When she looked up she found the chair empty, he wasn't there. She walked to his desk, it was empty all cleaned he hadn't been here recently. She looked around his office trying to find a suitable place to sit when she finally saw the couches in the corner she thought that she now was allowed into his inner circle. She walked to the couches in the corner of his office and sat down, she breathed out heavily as he closed her eyes. She didn't know why she had come to his office, she had just felt a sudden need to see him to be near him. His scent was everywhere in his office, even when he wasn't there the whole room emanated of him. The terrifying stillness of his room, it was demanding it was required of this room and him. She heard the doors of the room go up easily and she saw him enter the room without having noticed her presence, she watched his suit covered back closely. He stopped in the middle of the room and closed the file in his hand.

"Well, miss Kazama I don't know whether I should call this trespassing and call security or find you a suiting punishment myself?" he said with a smirk on his lips when he turned to face her.

"I thought I was your secret liaison…?" she spoke to him with a smile on her face. Kazuya went to his desk dropping the file in his hands, he took his jacket off and let it drop on the chair. He unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled the sleeves up as he walked towards her. Making it seem like he was going to make a serious threat out of his joke. The sun rays shone behind him forcing Jun to squint her eyes a little. He was a black shadow in the midst of the burning light approaching her his black and cold shadow reached out to her and caressed her already cold skin, and yet the contact with him was a burning sensation on her skin. He leaned in over her and his lips hovered above hers.

"You are my secret liaison, but what punishment would you find fitting?" he whispered to her as he met her eyes, Jun's hands crawled up his shirt. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. Kazuya's hands crawled to the back of her head forcing her closer and he felt the intensity of their kiss grow. Kazuya sat down beside her and she swung her leg over his legs, positioning herself in his lap. She continued to kiss him as she placed his hands on her thighs, Kazuya was surprised by her sudden display of initiative, and eventually his hands found their place on her back. He pulled her closer to him.

"I just came to tell you that you won't find me on the hotel any longer" she told him in between kisses, finally she broke from him and seated herself on his lap.

"I never came looking for you there..." he told her as he pulled some strands of hair away form her face to the back of her ear and she reviewed their liaison and knew that he was speaking the truth.

"Well, now you know" she told him and kissed him again, Kazuya instantly felt the difference in her kiss. She had kissed him passionately before yet this kiss was a reinsurance, but he wasn't the one who needed reinsurance.

"Why did you come?" he finally asked her knowing that she only had told him half of what she was hiding from him.

"I just wanted to see you" she spoke to him with her beautiful almond eyes begging him to believe the words she had uttered and yet he could hear her call out his name desperately. She wanted something much more from him. Kazuya took a hold of her hips and pulled her even closer kissing her differently than he ever had dared to kiss her, his kisses were raw and natural. Crushing against her tender and soft lips he held her face in his palms not letting her escape to breathe. Jun had placed her hands on his chest by his sudden rude and callous treatment of her, she didn't push him back nor did she pull him towards herself. Kazuya straightened his back to be closer to her, Jun wrapped her legs around his waist when she submitted to the energy she felt in his kisses, she couldn't deny it she wanted a part of it. She placed his hand on her thighs again, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling closer and deeper into the kisses.

He had tempted her and she wasn't able to resist him. He had corrupted her leaving his calloused mark on her skin and on her soul, he could have her easily. He could easily corrupt her but there was no fun in that.

His hands caressed her legs only this time they were merciless and her legs were ravaged by his callous hands, leaving red marks behind. Jun was exhilarated by the rough treatment she received feeling his hands send electricity through her body, and god the pain she felt, the taste of pain had never been any sweeter.

Suddenly the crack of the door crawled through the air in the office and Jun quickly swung back to where she had been sitting and straightened both her hair and her dress to hide the red marks. Kazuya sat nonchalantly waiting to see who had interrupted them this time when he could have had much more and she would have been corrupted some more.

His step brothers hair soon showed and reflected light in the office. He quickly persuaded Kazuya to come with him for some urgent matter, he din't let the fact that he had company and the fact that it was her get in the way. He was more surprised by how she had gotten in by herself unnoticed

"It's about the tournament..." Jun heard him say as the door closed behind the two of them. Jun got up and straightened her black dress fearing that the marks might be visible. She walked around the office nervously she didn't know what had become of her, before she wouldn't have behaved in such a manner. Yet he had gotten under her skin somehow, she had wanted more from him and she had hoped they wouldn't be interrupted. Just the thought of them having sex for the first time in addition to that in his office, nothing sounding more thrilling to her. She placed her forehead on the window as she exhaled and calmed herself down, she shook her head admitting to herself that he held to much power over her.

Jun shot her head up when she heard a muffled thump, she looked around herself and saw nothing of interest. Her eyes wandered to his desk and there she saw it, a file had fallen to the floor. She looked at it from the distant she didn't dare to go near it, for what good to come from it?

Eventually Jun decided to pick it up for him and as she had placed her hands on his file she gripped it harder when she felt the amount of paper inside it. Some papers escaped the file and fell to the floor at her feet. Her eyes wandered all over the papers and she dropped the file in her hand. She scattered the papers on the floor and looked at them all and she felt her heart sink. She grabbed paper and a pen from his desk and started to write down information. Tears were welling up her in her eyes but she didn't have to fight hard to keep them back and soon they were gone too. The name Roger occurred again and again and as she wrote down information a part of her wished she hadn't read the papers. She folded her paper multiple times as she gathered the papers and placed it back on his desk. She looked out of the window breathing heavily, she had no choice.

Kazuya stood outside looking at the papers Lee had handed him. He looked at it multiple times and blinked.

"Get her out, by any means..." was all he said and left Lee to his own thoughts, he had understood between who her next match should be arranged. He saw Kazuya turn his back to him he couldn't understand how he could be willing to do this to her. She surely would never forgive him for it.

The door to his office open as he was about to take a hold of the handle, Jun looked up at him with a smile on her lips.

"Are you leaving?" he asked her when he saw her standing in the doorway. She smiled sweetly to him as she laid her hand on his arm. He took steps towards her and forced her back into the his office as he closed the door behind him.

"Yes," she spoke "I think its better if you tend to your work and I'll only get in your way" she whispered into his ear and kissed him on his cheek. Kazuya turned his head to meet her lips and kissed her before he let her go. His hands were on her hips as he pulled her closer taking steps forcing her further away from the door. He continued to kiss her until he finally had her pressed up against his desk. Jun looked behind herself when she first felt the desk behind her, he had her cornered, she looked up at him with confusion he understood the look in her eyes and he stroked her chin gently. She didn't know if she should trust his sudden change to a more compassionate one than the forcing nature he had displayed, when she looked into his eyes and saw the same lust suddenly appear in them. He kissed her again not being willing to let her escape from his grasp he held her by her waist and kept her close. Jun felt herself being pressed closer and closer to his desk eventually she was pushed to sit on it. Even when he showered her skin with kisses the only thing she could think of was how callously he suddenly treated her.

"I think I can come up with better things to do..." he whispered to her ear and placed a kiss on her neck, Jun's breath left her mouth when she felt his lips on her skin. No matter the difference in how he treated her she couldn't deny the pleasure of sharing such closeness with him. She felt his hand creep up her hips again and she loved the warmth of his hands on her cold skin. She wrapped her legs around his waist bringing him closer to her as he pushed her dress up to her waist with his hands.

"Kazuya I really have to go..." she told him as he continued to kiss, ignoring her pleas begging him to let her go he continued to kiss her.

"I thought you were on vacation?" he asked her kissing her again. Jun placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away form her lips and her body. She looked at him with a surprised yet critical look in her eyes. Kazuya was surprised by her sudden forceful way of pushing him away, she hadn't denied him before.

"How do you know? I didn't tell you" she asked him and she instantly saw a devilish smile spread across his lips. He closed in on her again lips only inches apart he looked down at her delicious lips and she couldn't but sit there and look down on him as he seemed to inspect every inch of her lips. He looked up at her and smiled as he could sense her nervousness rise in her body making her stiff.

"You know word travels really fast" he told her and kissed her again, lingering by her lower lip awhile. He finally decided to part from her.

"I guess you should get going" he whispered to her ear breathing deeply till the bottom of his lungs were filled with her scent "God, you're so sweet" he whispered into her hair. Jun sat silently listening to the confession that had escaped from his lips and from the iron hold his mind had on everything he did and say. Suddenly the situation had changed again this time it was much more delicate and dangerous, he wasn't filled with lust anymore but had reached another state of mind. Jun held him closer to herself and let him rest his head on her shoulder, she felt his muscles relax in her embrace. She kissed his cheek and enjoyed the silence, they were rarely blessed with moments of peace and serenity. Kazuya looked up at her and she smiled in return, he understood that now was the time to part. He helped her down from the table and she kissed him lightly on his lips. She placed her hand on his cheek and moved only inches away from lingering close by him her other hand she held his hand intwining fingers with each other.

"I'll see you..." she said not completing her sentence she waited on him to finish it for her and give her the answer to the question that haunted her mind.

"Tomorrow..." he answered her looking into her eyes he saw the questioning look "I have a meeting out of town later today and I'll be back tomorrow" he told her giving her information he wasn't willing to give her at first. She kissed him in reply and started to walk away when she felt the restraint of his arm when it had stretched as far as it could. She released her hand from his and smiled to him.

He leaned up against the desk as he saw her walk toward the door and close it behind her.

She had paced around in her apartment the whole afternoon in despair she didn't know she should do. She didn't have a choice a voice told her at best he would forgive her for what she was finding necessary to do, but she knew that wasn't the case. She had learned to know him and he wouldn't forgive her. A tear escaped her eye she fought back the other tears that were for release, but the first tear was also going to be the last. She couldn't afford any more tears She picked the phone up and dialled the only number she could think of.

"Hi it's me, I need your help..."


	15. Chapter 15 The Betrayal and The Fugitive

AN: Hi everyone, sorry for the late update life has been very hectic and chaotic. Quick thanks to tekkenfan for reviewing and I hope you enjoy reading this chapter and tell me what you think!  
As always I encourage you to tell me what you think!

Chapter 15 - The Betrayal & The Fugitive

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Jun had not slept that night the darkness was leaving her room and the warm greetings from the sun were creeping into her room. She had arrived home a few hours earlier and she had been lying in the bed desperately trying to fall asleep but it proved to be a more difficult task than she had imagined. Her actions of the previous night haunted her, the things she had seen would not lightly leave her mind anytime soon. That wasn't what worried her the most, her actions the crime she had committed. She had betrayed him. Never before would her mind even be crossed with the thought of even betraying anyone and yet she had not thought twice before she betrayed him. The pictures of what she had seen wouldn't leave her. They wouldn't let her be at peace, they would forever haunt her for the one that tortured them was Kazuya Mishima. The Kazuya Mishima her own fate was tied up with…

Like any other sinner without any remorse she thought of the chances for forgiveness yet she doubted herself if it was forgiveness she wanted or if it was a fear for him that made her wish for forgiveness. A fear she never had felt before. She knew she had changed everything the moment she stepped into the testing facility she couldn't walk away, and yet she had asked herself that very moment if she couldn't look away. Now the only feeling she knew of was fear, she feared him. She had made herself his enemy the moment she had scattered the papers across the floor.

Why did she do it? Was it necessary? Couldn't she have looked away?

Her heart questioned her actions for couldn't there have been another way? Why had she bought into his game? She doubted the feelings that her heart told her she had. Were they true had she felt what she thought she had felt?

Her mind told her otherwise. She didn't know him and he might never change. Her values and morale was all she had. They would secure her and guard her against the dark and heartless world that threatened to take away the little warmth she ever had felt. She tried to remember the last time she had felt warmth and then she remembered his face. His handsome face with those brown eyes that became more desolate for every time she looked into them. They carried many dark secrets and yet she could see some light in them even if it was very dim she saw it. His eyes changed when he looked at her. All the questions her mind and heart confronted her with she had found no answers for, she had laid awake since she had returned and only a single question had she found an answer for, he would never forgive her.

She could be certain of the fact that she had turned the battle into a war.

Jun got out form her bed and walked to the bathroom she turned the light on tiredly and looked at herself in the mirror. She had never seen such black rings under her eyes before. The cold fingers of darkness were clutched around her heart and it was much colder than she had imagined, or was it because she knew the truth.

Kazuya watched the city pass by the windows of his car it was early morning and the air was still crisp and fresh under the scarce warm rays the sun had sent. The streets of Tokyo were deserted and Kazuya realised that there were only few men like him that were dedicated to their ambitions. There were men on this planet who dreamed about doing what they wanted and there were men who talked about what they dreamed of but they all lacked one thing: they weren't men of action.

He drove into his driveway unnoticed, Kazuya stepped out of the car remembering what he had promised her. Even if it wasn't a true promise it was something he for himself would like to keep. He hadn't had her company that evening and it was hard for him to admit that he enjoyed her company. She wasn't like other women she was much more and much different from other women of her age. They all begged for confirmation when he had none to offer and he had never before been inclined to let his attention sway toward a woman.

She approached him without any fear.

Kazuya had concluded in his mind as he once again entered the cold mansion he called his home. He had come to realise that cages came in all sizes and even if her home was more colourful than his own home, it was nothing more than a colourful cage on to keep her distracted form the truth, even a warm soul as hers couldn't escape the cold grasp of reality and solitary. He saw the papers lying on the table in the great empty hall that would echo by every step he took. He picked it up and unfolded the newspaper.

The phone rang and disturbed the tranquility in her apartment, it continued to ring as it in a demanding tone commanded her that it be picked up and answered. Jun picked the phone up and heard a female voice, Jun confirmed that she indeed was Jun Kazama. She received a reminder of her next match that was taking place the very same day. Jun sighed heavily when she hung up the phone, the martial arts that she loved and her loving father had passed on to her had become nothing but a weapon. Something she only ever wanted to resort to when she needed to protect herself and here she was fighting a battle that was bigger than her.

Later that day after hours of stalling Kazuya found himself on her doorstep. He had considered many things: he could end the acquaintance without a word, he could plead for her forgiveness but why should he ask for forgiveness for something that was perfectly normal for him? Then there was the option that he imagined that he was ashamed of even thinking of when the truth was that it was something he would have done without thinking twice if it had been any other person. That was what he would have done if he wanted to do his job correctly.

He finally lifted his fist and knocked on the door, his soft and gentle knock were replaced with more violent and authoritarian. Jun opened the door carefully and when she spotted the man in front of her, her whole body froze. What was he doing at her doorstep? She was sure that he wouldn't come to her doorsteps anymore. She moved away from the gap and gestured with her whole arm for him to move in. She closed the door behind him and waited on him to get his coat of and relieve him of his burden. Kazuya hung his coat on the hooks in the wall. Jun stepped into her living room and sat down on the couch, she saw him walk into her kitchen and heard him pour water into something. She saw him enter the room with his sleeves rolled up she knew what he would talk to her about and even in the serious gravity of the situation she couldn't let it slip by that he looked divine in the light of the summer sun.

"Why?" Kazuya asked her out of a sudden breaking the silence much earlier than she had anticipated and thereby catching her off guard. The sensitivity of the question he asked her surprised her, she had though that they would scream and shout and yet he asked her something as simple as why.

"Why what, Kazuya?" she asked him, provoking him. She couldn't talk to him not now. She had to pay the price of what she had done her heart told her it would only be justice for inflicting the pain she had and yet her mind told her that what she had done was right, this was who she was and why should she betray herself for one single man?

"You're asking me?" he answered as he pulled something out of his back pocket and threw it on the table in front of her. Jun picked up the paper and unfolded it in her hands, she had counted on it making the newspapers so quickly and than she remembered her employer he wouldn't keep something as big as this sealed for long. The animal testing facility was finally the case that could make him famous for his crusade against the evil incorporations around the world especially when you got a giant like the Mishima incorporation. He probably imagined himself being David defeating his Goliath, except it was the work of his employee. Jun didn't look long at the paper it was only a page with a large picture of an animal exposed to testing with a big red yellow headline that wasn't nearly as serious as the article itself was.

"How did you find out?" Kazuya asked her breaking the long silence.

"What do you regret Kazuya? Me finding out? That it made its way into the headlines? The fact that you apparently didn't hide it well enough?" Jun spat at him with anger rising from the couch.

"You used me!" Kazuya accused her with harsh words, Jun's expression changed from anger to disbelief of all the things he could worry about this was the one thing he chose to speak out loud.

"I used you?" Jun asked him in return with a stern face "Who had a guard follow me around in Tokyo? Your private guards kazuya, don't exactly fit into the surroundings of Tokyo!" Jun told him revealing some of the hidden knowledge she kept from him.

"I did my job" Kazuya spoke defending that he had a guard follow her around in Tokyo always enabling him of knowing where she was.

"So did I Kazuya! What did you think? That I would let it go! That I would forget about it just because it was you?" Jun asked him, she had never spoken to him with such a high voice before. In a split second she wondered why that was? There had been moments where any other woman would have spoken in a high voice to him and insulted him. She wondered why she never had, was she too scared?

"Where did you get the information and pictures?" Kazuya asked her with more anger in his voice than ever before. He stepped closer to her when he had asked her, his eyes were cold and empty as he looked at the creature standing in front of him.

"What does it matter Kazuya? You apparently don't do your work good enough but I do Kazuya I am committed to my work and the cause I work for!" Jun said taking a step back creating more distance between them.

"Where did you get the information and what do you know?" Kazuya asked her grabbing her arms violently and pulling her closer. Jun looked up at him as he had grabbed her she looked at his eyes they were colder than she had ever seen them before, she felt his grip on her arms tighten.

"Let go of me, Kazuya..." she spoke when she felt his fingers tighten even more, he could break her arms if he wanted to it would be easy for a man of his strength and capability.

"I'm not asking you again" He told her pulling her closer in as he felt her squirm in his grip. Jun didn't dare to look at him but she had to she couldn't deny his commands and when she did she wished she hadn't. They seemed to be another shade than his cold brown eyes. Before she knew it she was hanging over the floor, Kazuya had a tight grip around her neck choking her. He had lifted her from the floor with a single arm and she asked herself again why did she look into his eyes?

"Tell me" he spoke to her, he didn't even seem human, it was more like when an animal growled.

"Let go of me..." Jun spoke the air was slipping out of her lungs and there was no possibility for her to stop it. She tried to fight against his strength trying to move his arm the least bit, but she felt the energy leave her body. Her vision started to blur the colours all seemed to wash out and the room became different shades of grey but not him, she felt the sweetness of the air leave her. With the little energy she had left in her body Jun lifted her fist and punched him with the strength she could muster. The shade of colour in his eyes disappeared and he let go of her. Jun fell on the table hitting it devastatingly hard she felt the glass beneath her crackle to small pieces and penetrate the clothes she was wearing, she breathed in heavily the sweet air. Her chest rose and fell under her heaving and her heart was racing. She lay at his trying desperately to catch her breath.

Jun looked up at the man that she had thought she loved. He stood there at her feet, as a great black tower casting an even greater and blacker shadow on her fragile and pale form. Jun turned around and fell even lower she hit the floor this time the pain excruciating it clouded her thoughts. She started to crawl away from him. She couldn't hear him move but she could feel his eyes on her back. He stared down at her, her fragile silhouette was disgusting him.

She had turned out to be a rose with thorns hidden in the side compensating for the bewitching scent.

He had been distracted been distracted the smell of the beautiful white petals. He saw how she had looked at him with beautifully terrified eyes. Those innocent eyes, their world was broken shattered by one cruel act. That was all that was needed. Now she crawled away from him like a butterfly whose beautiful wings a cruel boy had crushed, a boy who didn't understand the beauty in the littlest objects.

The beauty in a ray of light.

He walked towards her and put his hands on her shoulders and pressed her figure down on the broken glass from that once was the surface of the table. He heard her frightened cry. He moved his mouth slowly to her ear enjoying the fear he inflicted on her soul.

"If I did my job correctly you would have been dead by now..." he whispered into her ear as he saw her squirm and grip the carpet with her hands. What he didn't see was the tears in the corner of her eyes and the ones she shed. He rose from her and left her on the cold floor. She heard his footsteps move toward the door and she heard him open it but before he stepped out he spoke.

"It really wonders me how you gained the information and thereby access, it seems clear to me that you aren't as innocent and pure as you pretend to be. You are just as corrupt and inclined to take any mean at hand to gain what you think is a justified goal. If you trespass again I will make sure that it will be your last action..." Kazuya left her alone in the apartment with the harsh words hanging heavily in the air. Jun let her head hit the floor as she silently shed more tears. She couldn't understand why she was shedding tears, she dried her face for the wet substance and lay on the floor silently. She had never in her life felt this helpless, she had no one to run to, who could comfort her? The thought then stroked her she only had herself to blame, she was the one who had chased after him. She so desperately wanted to feel something that she hadn't even considered who it was she had given the responsibility. She had chosen a cold and tried man who also had turned out to be a callous man. She had turned to extremes yet she hadn't been able to control herself she had felt herself be drawn to him. The first he laid his cold eyes on her she saw nothing but a pair of eyes she couldn't read. His mind was a closed book and she had to admit to herself that it was a book she eagerly wanted to read and explore.

Jun stepped into the cold dressing room, she had a bag with her clothes in, she dropped it on the floor as she sat down on the bench and began to take her clothes out. Gossip shows had already talked about the noises from her apartment and gossiped about the possible breakup, she felt like she was in a car crash and the people who stopped they only stopped to see how much blood had been spilled and how ugly it all was. Nobody wanted to help.

Jun stepped onto the walkway and looked around, everyone were cheering waiting for the bloodbath to begin. She searched the crowd with her eyes not turning her head once, she didn't know what or who she was looking for. It became very clear for her that none of the faces in the big crowd were familiar to her. She lifted her feet heavily as she walked into the centre of the ring. She looked up and saw her opponent enter, she had seen him before. That night where she wandered out into the gardens and came across Kazuya by coincidence. He was the man Kazuya talked to in the shadows. She wondered what it all meant, but it didn't matter she had made up her mind. Her opponents name was spoken through the speakers first, Bruce Irving. She looked at his muscular shape and saw his calm and predatory eyes settle upon her figure. He smirked to himself.

Jun had been fighting for the last ten minutes it was about time that the battle was decided she had been in the ring too long, he had thought that she was easy bait and couldn't understand why he had been brought out. She could read it clearly in his face, he was apparently Kazuya's heavy artillery. He was apparently just as determined as she was. Jun stepped aside when she saw his leg move to strike, she grabbed his leg and turned him unbalancing him. He fell to the ground and Jun grabbed his arm placing her foot on his shoulder. She was ready to snap his arm out of place, when she looked at him she couldn't. She let go of his arm and stepped back. She could hear the crowds displeased cries in the back of her head but it didn't matter to her. All she wanted now was for the headache to go away. She stood still as she saw him get up from the floor in the speed of light. He quickly had her cornered up against the wall due her lack of concentration. Before she knew of it she was laying on the floor her vision became blurry as she felt the warm blood escape from her mouth it spilled on the floor and she could have sworn she heard him say "Best regards". She denied to let him win on a knock but she didn't have the energy in her body to get up and defend herself. She lay on the floor until the announcer had declared him the winner. She rose from the floor holding her head with one hand. She saw the people rise from their seats they were pleased with the blood spilling and had accepted the sacrifice. She walked up the stairs to exit, she passed a black silhouette on her way out. He looked straight ahead not even granting her one single glance, she apparently wasn't worthy to be in his sight. Kazuya saw her walk past her she din't look his way she walked past him unwrapping the bandages on her hand her eyes heavy plastered to the ground. He noticed her heavy footsteps. He continued to look at the winner of the battle he had done well as always, yet he as always had stepped over the line he had drawn for him. Soon the arena emptied and her presence no longer lingered there. He was sitting alone in the cold arena as the sky darkened he stood up from his seat and walked to the battle ring. He bent down and touched the blood on the floor with two fingers with his thumb he smeared it around. It was her blood.

Jun stood with her bag in her hand and another on her shoulder by the front door with a hand on the doorknob. She looked over her shoulder one last time, she asked herself if it was the wisest decision she had made as young to come to Tokyo? Was she going to miss her little space where breathing for her had become difficult? She let go of the doorknob and leaned up against the door behind her and stood for a moment in her apartment, she remembered everything that had occurred the last couple of days which now seemed so far away and surreal. Had she really met the man, had she really signed up for the tournament in hope for what? She had the most turbulent relationship to a man in the shortest time that would break any record known to humankind.

She turned the doorknob and left her worries behind as she closed the door. She looked at the door one last time, 204 was the number that stood on her door. As she turned the key she considered everything once again. Would she ever return?

Jun ran through a dark forest, she could recognise it by the feeling it awoke in her. It was Yakushima. She was running through the dark forest in a white dress in bare feet, she could feel the moist underground. She didn't know why she was running but she knew she had to run. She didn't even know if she was running from something or if she was running to something. Her heart was racing and an overwhelming fear was rising in body and the only thing she could do was run. The sky above darkened even more if it was possible and roared. Jun stopped frightened as her legs denied to carry her any further. Jun looked around herself desperately trying to find an orientation. Suddenly the sky above her was ignited by lightning illuminating the woods, in that second Jun recognised the wood. She was headed the right way it shouldn't be long till she was there. She ran happily through the forest now, she knew where she could go. She continued to run faster as she recognised more and more of the woods, soon she stepped onto a path and the mud pulled her feet making it more difficult for her to run. The path led her straight to the house. She stopped when she saw light in the windows, how could it be? Her childhood home hadn't been occupied for a long while.

She took another step toward the house and stopped when she saw the handle turn. She stood anxiously waiting for the person to reveal his or her identity. When she saw his face she was shocked how could he be there? How could he be in her home? He walked out in the pouring rain unaffected by how the cold rain hit him. He walked up to her and stood in front of her quietly not saying a word. He lifted his hand and brushed some of the hair strands away from her face and caressed her. Jun looked up at him, what was he doing in Yakushima?

He stepped away from her and walked to the steps that lead up to the porch. The light shone through the door frame and lighted his darkened figure up. She stood in the dark outside the frame of light, she more than ever before feel how the wind was whipping the rain around in the air and every time the rain made contact with her skin it felt like needles being forced through her skin. Her white gown didn't provide much protection it was soaked and clung to her desperately and the end of the gown was muddy and weighed it down heavily. He turned around and faced her he blinked a couple of times as the rain hit his eyes. Jun watched Kazuya stretch his arm out to her, she stared at his white hand for the longest while before she had made her mind up. She reached out for his hand slowly and carefully, when she touched his fingers they were cold. Her hand slid over his and in one quick move he pulled her into himself. She could feel the warmth radiating from his body, he tilted her head up with his thumb and once again stroked the water away from her face. She was grateful when she felt his gentle touch on her skin. He kissed her passionately before he pulled her inside and closed the door behind her. The facade of the house might have looked like her childhood home but the interior was different. Jun realised that she had seen it before, she had been in this place before it was Kazuya's home. Jun turned around to face Kazuya but he was already on his way up the stairs. Jun stood confused in the big entrance hall what was she supposed to do? She could feel the nervousness rise in her body as she started to move towards him. By the time Jun reached the top of the stairs Kazuya stood at the end of a dark corridor holding a door open. Jun walked towards him and for every step she took her legs got heavier and heavier. She stepped into the room and heard Kazuya close the door behind her. Jun walked up to the fireplace warming her cold fingers when she felt a pair of cold hands slide down her arms, sending chills down her back. She felt his cold lips on her neck he pressed his lips harder against her skin and pulled her closer in to his embrace. Jun felt her own breath quicken when she felt his cold lips and hands on her body. She felt Kazuya's hands linger by the straps of her dress she turned in his embrace and kissed him encouraging him to do what he had longed for, what she had longed for. Her dress fell to the floor and she stood bathed in the warm light from the fire. Kazuya kissed her repeatedly not letting her go not even for a moment to breathe. Jun started to unbutton his shirt desperately, Kazuya pushed her down to the floor dominating her fragile silhouette while Jun struggled with his pants. Kazuya continued to kiss her neck moving down to her chest when he felt her chest rise and fall heavily he knew she was his. Jun pulled away from him when she had thrown his pants away, she placed her hands on his face and took a deep look into his eyes. They were the same cold and observant eyes she had ever seen, she pulled him in to a deep kiss. She had never thought that it would have come to this, she lay naked on his floor with him on top of her. Why was it him that opened the door? What was he doing here? Were all questions that raced through her mind each time he kissed her skin.

Jun's thoughts were disturbed when she felt his hands traveled down her body and stop by her hips. He parted her hips not once did he break eye contact with her. He kissed her again as he parted her legs while his other hand traveled down her back causing her to arch her back bringing herself closer to him. His hand left her back and traced its way down her thigh when it reached the mid of her thigh his hand stopped and lifted her thigh up gently. Jun looked closer at him, almost examining him, she saw a spark of red in his eyes. She pulled him closer tilting his head so the light from the fire shone clearly on his dark brown eyes. There was no trace of red to be found, she gazed at his eyes a while longer tantalised by his dark and secretive eyes. Then she saw the spark again, it indeed was a trace of red in his dark brown eyes. She looked at him as a whole in the light of the fire, he wasn't any different than her or anyone else. He was striking and she was sure of the fact that she never had seen a creature like him before even her imagination wouldn't be sufficient enough to make up such a creature. She lifted her head from the floor meeting him half way, she planted a careful kiss on his cheek followed by a kiss on the corner of his lips. Kazuya sealed their kiss with a smile on his lips.

His hand traveled up her body again over her stomach and over her breast it stopped by her neck, his hand lingered as he finally placed it on her cheek. He kissed her one single time and she smiled when she felt his lips on hers. Her hands were firmly planted on his chest and when he pulled away from her and sat straight she for the first time saw the scar on his chest.

She looked up at him when her hand was merely inches away from his scar, under the illumination of the warm and soft fire the scar looked like it bled. He took her hand placing it on the scar, Jun felt a strange heat emerge from his scar. She pressed her whole hand against his skin firmly and confirmed what she thought she had imagined.

Something was wrong…

Suddenly the fire went out and she could no longer feel Kazuya's skin under her hand nor his hand on her thigh. The room was bathed in cold light the only illumination the moon offered. She looked around the room she couldn't see anyone and yet she had the feeling of something was watching her. She saw a face emerge from the darkness right above her, fear stroke her and she felt paralysed. The creature leaned in over her naked form inspecting her with its red eyes. Jun looked at it fearfully she couldn't comprehend what she saw with her own eyes. The creature shared many traits with Kazuya, yet it had horns emerging from its forehead and she didn't know if it was wings she saw attached to its back. The most familiar trait she saw in this creature was its red eyes they were just as cold and calculating. She stretched her hand out to touch its face and she felt its skin under her fingers, it was real.

It grabbed her arm preventing her from touching it, it examined her closely.

"So you are Jun Kazama..." it spoke to her, Jun become more numb when she heard it utter her name. Its hand traced its way down her face and stopped on her chin "He's mine..." it spoke to her with a cruel smile on its lips when its hand traveled to her neck she felt its hand tighten around her neck. She fought for every single breath but they were robbed from her. The image of the creature became blurry and she felt her head increasingly became heavier.

"I'll devour you whole..." it hissed in her ear before her sight went black and she felt the last energy in her body leave her.

Jun woke up coughing her heart out, she looked around herself in panic. She was still in the boat but they would soon arrive to Yakushima. Jun took her bags and walked to the deck, more sleep wasn't what she had in mind. She started to remember what she had felt, the same feelings she had felt in her body before. She wondered if it was the creature she had felt the presence of in Kazuya's home.

Jun stepped onto onto the village ground and looked around, everything looked exactly like see had left it. Nothing had changed over the years and the town carried on in its dreary way as it always had. The towns people were all busy with their own errands of the day but never too busy to greet each other. Jun went up the path she had walked on for many years. Jun walked along the wood encircled. Jun saw the sign that stood tall and proud over the path that lead to their home, her home. Jun stopped and looked at the sign there were cracks in the wood and the painting that once used to be red was know barely readable. It probably didn't leave people with the same impression as it once used to do, a sense of inferiority was all that could be felt through generations when one laid eye upon the proud Kazama family's property. They were among the most respected families on yakushima Island if not the most respected, with such respect there of course came a certain image that had to be maintained generation after generation. Now it was nothing but a legend an old tale a legacy that had been abandoned years ago, nothing but a sign with cracks and faded paint that only hinted at its greater past of superiority. The weed had made its way up between the pavement and some of it had even broken through it. The great legacy broken by a weed.

Harm came to Jun's heart when she looked at the estate her father took great pride in maintaining it had never been more to her but simple soil but her father had always felt differently. He had been raised with the values of the Kazama, he was a Kazama. She tread on the pavement with great care, fearing that one of them would break beneath her foot. She had never thought the consequences of her actions would seem so severe to her in this moment. When she had walked through under the roof of the tree crowns which barely let any rays of the sun come through she was blinded when she she stepped onto the clearing. The sky was open and blue the sun shone, blinding her and she wished she was for the sight that met her devastated her. The house that stood in the middle of the clearing looked nothing like it had in its glorious past. She felt shame overtake her. Was this what she had condemned the house to?

Jun walked up to the house through the big space that once held the most magnificent trees with flowers at their feet. They now grew wild and made it impossible to get past to the house. The flowers were scattered all over the place slowly taking over the ground. When she stepped onto the porch she heard it crack loudly under her steps. She let her bags fall to the floor and sat down on the floor. This was what was left of the great Kazama legacy, she had left everything behind without a second thought.

Jun turned the key in the lock and heard the door unbolt, she feared to open the door afraid of what she might find. She opened the door and felt old air rush out through the door. She saw the dust jump into the air before it once again settled on the wood floor. It would take a long time before she could call it her home again. She left the door open thinking fresh air would do the place some good, she opened every single window on her first walk through the house. Nothing had changed, everything stood where her parents had left it many years ago. She went upstairs and opened the doors of every room and the windows in the room, the light and air seemed to do the house good. Nothing felt nearly as dark and void like as it had done few moments ago. Jun stepped into her old room and saw that everything was exactly like she had left it once she had moved out. Her parents hadn't touched anything, they had preserved her memory for they knew just as well as her that she wouldn't return for a long time. Jun looked through her closet and her bookshelf everything was there. Soon the sounds of the lake reached her ear, Jun quickly opened the window and then she realised how much she had missed the sounds of the gentle lake waves, if they at all could be called waves. The air of Yakushima was entirely different. Jun walked down the long hallway and stood before the last door she hadn't even yet dared to touch the door handles. When Jun laid her hand on the handle she felt her hand frieze, she turned it nervously and every sound it made seemed too loud and too dreadful. She pushed the door open slowly and the door creaked loudly. Jun suddenly found herself standing in their room, her parents room. She walked around and the dust danced around her feet with every footstep. She opened the window to their room, letting the fresh air once again run through the room. She opened their closet and took her mothers dress up she inhaled its sweet scent it still smelt like her., as if nothing had happened. Time had never passed. She sat down by the table and saw her mother perfume covered in dust, she sprayed one of them on to her sleeve and inhaled. The scent brought her mother to life, it was like she was standing right in front of her. Her father's jacket still hung on the chair and its scent had dominated the room once but it had faded like everything else.

Jun soon started to clean the house frantically not leaving anything for another moment it had to be done, she wouldn't be the one to be shame upon her father's memory. She would honour him. Jun cleaned till her hands became and she felt a headache soon replaced by nausea from the hunger. She sat out on porch as she ate what little food she had carried with her. Soon she resumed her cleaning upstairs and the house in matter of hours stood clean, her parents room was the last room in the whole house and she with a mixture of honour and fear cleaned it. Slowly making her way through the room she felt tears sting her eyes, she told herself it was the dust that irritated her and yet she sat on the middle of the floor letting the tears fall uncontrollably. Her sobs very quickly could not be retained and the house echoed with her loud sobs and cries into the air. Her tears fell to the wooden floor heavily and every drop seemed to be heavier and greater than the last. She didn't feel the burden get lighter as she had heard people say when they told what it had felt like for them to cry, a burden that had been lifted. They said.

She only felt it become heavier and her tears seemed unstoppable and she inconsolable. She had never felt such pain in her life. Why was she doomed to have her heart broken, was it the only emotion she was allowed to feel? Was there no other emotion for her to feel? Was she to be abandoned no matter what the case?

She knew she was to be alone and it was her destiny.

One week later

Jun walked up the path with grocery bags in each hand like she had done the last couple of days, she was surprised of how quickly she had grown accustomed to the rituals and traditions of everyday life of Yakushima. Everything was quiet and tranquil, she could be at peace with her thoughts. Soon she had learned that the rumours had spread to the whole Island that one of the Kazama's had returned to the Island or more importantly the Kazama estate. People had sought her asked her how she was and how long she would stay, others came to her home and asked if she would teach like her father once had done. Then Jun remembered that she hadn't even cleaned the dojo, there would be much to clean since it was an outdoor space with a roof. Jun shook her head at the number of youngster that had showed up hoping she would tutor them. Kazama art of fighting had quickly become an invaluable part of the community and soon one of its trademarks. The dojo would need attendance and she decided that it would be the very afternoon of the present day. Jun hadn't noticed her wounded heart as she continued to care for the estate and had it painted in its original colour, no longer it seemed like the house had ever been abandoned by a Kazama. She had managed to restore it to its former glory and she had enjoyed the fruits of her hard labour.

When Jun had finished cleaning up in the dojo she considered teaching some of the youngsters that had come all the way to her doorstep, she could at least consider it. It was a long way away from the village and any other house. Her home was isolated and it seemed strange to her that the more alone and solitude she found herself the happier she seemed to think she was. Tokyo hadn't crossed her mind once and she became certain of the fact that she soon would forget it, and she might even forget how one travelled to Tokyo, if a person was inclined to making a trip to Tokyo. Jun sunk into the warm water in the bathtub and felt all her thoughts leave her as she was burning incense she gave it credit for having performed some miracle.

Jun woke up in the middle of the night in her bed, disturbed. She looked out of the window and saw the sky had darkened much more than during the whole week. The rain lashed outside and hit her window violently the tree outside her window seem to hit the window more and more brutally for every time. Jun laid down in bed and felt her body relax when she felt the heat, she turned off the light and felt her eyelids get heavier.

Jun was once again brutally awakened by the hammering from the tree branches against the window. She sat up in her bed and held her head in her hands thinking sleep would be something she would be deprived of this night. Once again she heard the noise, but she quickly realised that it was much different than the sound of the branches. Jun slipped her robe on and a colourful phoenix had risen on her back covering it with the most beautiful wings in fiery red and oranges. Jun made her way down the stairs as she thought the sound had come from downstairs she stopped on the middle of the stairs thinking she had heard wrong. When she was about to turn around the sound echoed throughout the house once again, and she was certain that it had come from the front door. Jun walked to the door and turned the light for the porch on and she saw a silhouette standing on her porch. Jun formed her left hand to a fist as she slowly unlocked the door and turned the handle. When she had opened the door her fist loosened and became sloppy.

She hadn't expected to see him on her porch.


	16. Chapter 16 Home?

AN:

First I'll like to apologise for the very late update, I had some exams and naturally with that some reading to do. I was therefor forced to take a break.

Thanks to xenocanaan for your review I hope you enjoy this chapter!

I hope you enjoy reading and leave a review or a comment, much appreciated!  


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Chapter 16 - Home?

Jun stood with her hand still on the door handle, the door still open as little as possible. She soon let go of the handle when she fully had digested who the person standing before her was. She stood still as if she was hallucinating.

"What are you doing here?" were the first words that escaped her mouth when she came to her senses. She saw his reaction as clear as she would have in daylight if it wasn't for the darkness that had enclosed Yakushima for the night. He didn't answer her at first he only stood there staring at the creature that had opened the door, she looked nothing like the woman he had known. She stood in front of him hiding behind that old door which seemingly creaked in agony when ever someone touched it. He had never before felt such a strong sensation as he did this moment standing in front of her. He realised how long the little time they had been parted seemed to him now that he was standing in front of her. She was paler than her usual self, everything about her seemed different the very moment she had opened the door for him.

"Can I..." he started but was cut off.

"Sure come on in," she said without allowing him a chance to finish his sentence more importantly without letting herself think twice about inviting him in, she opened the door wider than the little opening allowing him entrance to her home. How could she welcome a man into her home who had seemed ready to kill her? Jun asked herself the question when he passed by her and she closed the door behind him and locked it.

They both stood in the entrance Jun stood quietly waiting for him to say or do something that would indicate his intentions. He stood quietly not knowing what to do he knew why he had come and he knew that she wouldn't believe him or his words if he told her. Jun saw him take his jacket off and hang it on the hatstand. She walked into the living room closely followed by him.

"How did your way come across Yakushima, Kazuya?" she finally asked him the question he knew she was desperate to ask him. She sat down in a chair and pulled her feet up onto the chair off the cold floor. Kazuya took the seat opposite of her, he quickly looked around the room there were pictures every where of children and adults he suspected their were her parents. It seemed like a home.

"A business trip" he answered her shortly not revealing his true intentions.

"And stopping by my home in the middle of the night is a part of your business trip? How did you find my house?" she asked him, and he now was sure of the fact that he wasn't welcome in her home or her life.

"I just wanted to apologise, I shouldn't have..." he told her and Jun was once again reminded of how he had come to her the first time to apologise. It seemed to her like when he had to apologise to her he had to do it in person. She wondered if he at all apologised to others like he did to her.

"And the village people are very helpful if you ask them anything, one of them even offered to follow me the whole way up here" he told her with some amusement in his eyes. There was a reason for him to come but it certainly wasn't because of a business trip, but it suited him very well if she didn't know that the business trip didn't exist.

"Why in the middle of the night? You could have come tomorrow" she told him for it seemed unnecessary to come in the middle of the night.

"I just wanted to get it over with so I can concentrate on the business part of this trip" he told her coldly and when he saw her face relax, she seemed glad with the fact that the main purpose of the trip wasn't apologising to her, and yet she tensed up again as if another question formed in her head. He would be glad if she never discovered the true purpose of his visit.

"I hadn't expected the weather to shift so quickly and become much worse" he told her and leaned back in his chair.

"You can stay here for the night, the weather doesn't look like it will be better any time soon" Jun offered him with a strained smile. Kazuya simply nodded as a response he got his bag from the entrance hall and saw her waiting by the stairs for him. She didn't feel like questioning him further and she again felt courtesy and etiquette take control of her actions and words.

He followed her through the house and it struck him that it was a grand house maybe not like the one he lived in, in Tokyo. This was a home of completely different proportions. He followed her through the hallway all the doors were closed except one which stood wide open.

"Here you go" she said as she turned the handle she turned on the light and walked in she checked the room for its contents. She soon left the room but didn't close the door behind her, Kazuya laid his bag on the floor next to the bed. He walked to the window and realised how far and isolated she lived and must feel when she was here all alone. It was serene and the stillness from the night dominated, only the rain was complaining and the sky roared. Soon Jun entered his room again she carried blankets with her she placed them on the bed stepping around his bag.

"Here I'll take the bag" Kazuya spoke quickly when he saw her trip around the bag, he took the bag up while Jun placed the blanket on his bed. When he moved away from her he suddenly stood still, he inhaled deeply letting her scent fill up his lungs and his whole being. Jun stopped when she heard him breathe deeply, she laid the blanket down and turned to only stand inches away from him. She lifted her head and looked straight into his eyes, he was absent. He was staring straight at her and somehow he managed to be absent. The silence felt like it would tear her apart and she knew she had to speak before... before anything else.

"It tends to get cold at times you'll need the extra blankets" she told him in a low voice and yet she knew that all the while she spoke he was only starring at her lips. She stood still in anticipation.

"My room is the second to the right from the stairs and the bathroom is to the left of the stairs" she told him things she felt obliged to as the host "the kitchen is downstairs and if you need anything you can just take it or ask me if something is missing" Jun told him in a hurry, the words fell over each other in neck breaking speed.

Jun moved away from Kazuya when she saw his arm started to move, she quickly walked back to her room and closed the door behind her. Kazuya sat down on the bed and took slow and deep breathes. He could hear her move around in her room he was only a room away from her across the hall. Jun paced around in her room not knowing what would happened or could have happened. She took long and deep breathes as she paced back and forth franticly. She couldn't understand why his presence was so intoxicating, on the other hand Kazuya had missed the intoxication of her presence she had become a drug for him and he couldn't resist the sweet intoxication which she was to him. Kazuya could still smell her scent linger in the room and he laid down on the bed as he closed his eyes and breathed her scent in.

When Jun laid in her bed once again and turned the light off she agreed with herself that her hospitality would only reach for the morning and then he would have to be on his way again. Yet she couldn't deny the burning sensation in her heart she knew that if he had her kissed her again she would forgive him, forgive him for everything.

_Jun felt their fingers intwine, she felt the warmth of his fingers run through his into her own. He invited her to come closer as one of his rare smiles crept over his lips. She locked her gaze on his eyes and she felt something inside her stir…_

_She had never seen such eyes before they penetrated her like nothing else, everything was bear no lies no truth no revelations. With every step she took she moved closer to him, the warm breeze ran over the field and through their legs. They stood inches apart their fingers still intwined, she looked at their hands and looked up at him. His hand rested on her cheek now and he kissed her forehead, reassuringly. She rested her head against his chest, everything seemed easier everything was less important. She needed someone to lean on. The black flowers shook in the harsh wind, they could not dance as gracefully as they had before the wind wanted to tear them apart. They took shelter underneath the trees majestic branches they stretched out in the sky, denying to succumb to the will of the harsh wind. Jun stood calm and safe in his arms, he had wrapped them around her willing to protect her to keep her close by._

_Jun saw the skyline light up for mere second at the time, and soon screeching sounds reached her ears. Jun looked worriedly over his shoulders, the situation didn't seem to effect him at all._

_He stood his ground, rock steady._

_Suddenly a bright light once again consumed the field and forest around them and the peal of thunder was louder than ever before. Jun didn't feel safe anymore, everything had changed nothing felt safe as it once had. Jun looked up at the tree and saw a wild and roaring fire spread through its majestic branches. They were defeated, it had only been a matter of time before this refuge too would surrender to the forces of the nature. Jun didn't feel his comforting arms anymore, she panicked and looked around her franticly. He was no where to be seen, she had been abandoned. Was it everything she could expect?_

_Jun stood paralysed not knowing what to do, her feet rejected any command and her mind and heart were racing she couldn't calm them. She couldn't think and the fire above grew with her despair. The fire crackled above her head and the only action she could gather energy for was tears. They streamed down her face and she wished desperately that she had more self discipline. She felt the branches fall upon her and crush her figure beneath them. The fire still burning. Her mouth was open as she screamed but no sound erupted from her sound. She pulled at the grass trying to pull herself away, she dug her fingers into the soil desperate to escape. Jun gave up and laid down on the ground. What had she expected? Would the soil the earth grant her sudden strength that would allow her to escape this inferno?_

_She felt her head spin and she prayed that she would loose consciousness before her death would come. Amidst the crackling of fire she thought she heard a laughter, a sinister laughter that made all the hair on her arm rise up. She looked around hoping it would be someone who would help her, but no one was there not even a shadow. She saw something emerge from the shadow of the tree with a grin on its face, it's red eyes pierced through the darkness. She knew the creature yet she had never seen it. It walked to her in slow steps observing her closely its wings moved a little providing shelter from the fire. It stood above her looking down at her, it examined her. Once again._

_It stretched its hand out to her, Jun looked up at the creature defenceless and confused of its gesture. She lifted her hand carefully reaching out for its fingers. Before she reached them she withdrew her hand she would rather suffer her own death than accepting the malicious creatures help._

_"I'll find you where ever you go, you cannot escape me!" it told her before it disappeared into the darkness._

Jun woke up screaming her heart out she was sitting straight up in her bed when she fully registered that she had woken up. Jun buried her face in her palms as the tears streamed down her face. Kazuya had been woken up by a scream he knew he had heard. He rose from the bed and walked to her bedroom quickly yet quietly he stood outside with his fist lifted ready to knock on her door. He noticed that the door was left ajar.

He hesitated and waited, waited for any sign of movement from the inside. He heard her deep breaths and he knew she was awake for they were controlled, she was trying her best not to cry out loudly and succumb to the pain she felt. Her silhouette moved to the edge of her bed, her body moved only the few inches she allowed it to move. She was shaking violently, she couldn't control it. She controlled nothing, her fate had been sealed against her own will. She didn't have a say she was to be controlled by the undefined. She could only surrender to her fate and let it take her where ever it may have planned to take her. It was a war she had lost a long time ago and it made no sense to pick up the pieces and try to forge a new path. Kazuya rested his hand on her door, he walked back to his bedroom.

Jun woke in the morning thinking she had dreamed, she rubbed her eyes as the clock radio went off and the first line she registered from the song was "Love can do you like a shotgun^" she let her hand fall heavily on the radio punishing it for disturbing the little morning silence she had. She turned in the bed and warmed herself before she decided to get up. Jun entered her private bathroom and felt the cold crawl up her feet and legs. She quickly jumped into the shower under the warm water, the water soothed her and let her for a few moments forget all about her problems.

Jun walked downstairs thinking she was early up and probably should make breakfast for him, that was at least a kind act she could perform before asking him to leave. Jun tied her hair up in a bun with a ribbon as she started to prepare breakfast. Many times she caught herself staring out of the window, it had been a long time she wondered if she had forgotten everything her father had ever taught her. She had to go and find out. The radio caught her attention, as the music stopped and a male voice filled the air in her kitchen.

"A week after the sudden disappearance of Jun Kazama, Kazuya Mishima has also suddenly gone missing. Jun Kazama was seen on a train station with bags a week ago leaving Tokyo and since then she hasn't been seen and no one knows where she is! Her superior says that she's taking a vacation and we sure don't blame her, she sealed the deal, lost in the tournament and broke up with allegedly boyfriend Kazuya Mishima. Now that is a busy woman.

Now that we are talking about Kazuya Mishima, he was seen leaving Mishima Zaibatsu exactly a week later. Contacting his secretary, Lee Chaolon doesn't lead to resolve of his whereabouts, he states and I quote "Mr. Mishima has simply gone on a business trip to deal with matters that needed immediate attention. The Tournament will though continue as planned under my supervision" Usually it is known for where ever the powerful CEO goes frenzy quickly follows

The last time the couple was together was apparently very turbulent, an anonymous source told that screaming and loud noises came from Jun's apartment followed by a Kazuya Mishima exiting the apartment and the complex not particularly happy" Jun walked to the radio turning it off.

Jun had the rest of her breakfast in absolute silence and somehow now this silence seemed too loud. She looked to the stairs many times and none of the times did she see someone come down. She looked at the stairs one last time before she made up her mind. She walked slowly up of the stairs hoping and praying that he any moment would be walking down them. She walked along the corridor where the light from the sun had chased off the darkness. She walked to his room and took a deep breath, she knocked lightly. She listened anxiously expecting an answer, she heard nothing again she knocked.

A bit harder this time.

Again she expected an answer, when none came she opened the door slowly nervously. She realised suddenly how ridiculous it was that she in her own home felt nervous, afraid of intruding. It wasn't anyone, it was him. She opened the door fully and didn't find him the bed. She walked to the middle of the room, he had left was her first thought. She sat down on the bed which he had made so it was exactly like she had, a small smile spread on her lips. She walked to the windows and pulled the curtains away and then she noticed the bag lying on the other side of the bed.

He hadn't left.

Jun stepped out of her home locking the front door, she stood with the key in her hand not knowing what she should do with it. She could leave it under the mat or under a pot they were the most obvious places and a man of his calibre should be able to figure something so simple out. For safety she had left the garden door unlocked, she laughed at herself when she realised that she had included safety and an open door in the same thought, but who would be dumb enough to walk so big a distance to rob a house that contained nothing valuable. Nothing but valuables for old sentimental fools. She placed the key under the mat and walked towards the forest. Unknown to her a pair of eyes saw her move toward the forest.

She ran through the forest at great speed, keeping her pulse up. The bag she had with her slammed against her back with every hard and fast step she took. She had missed running in the forest. She felt her thoughts melt away there was nothing and yet she felt her mind fill up with all the thoughts she had ever done in a lifetime and all the worried thoughts that had crossed her mind since she had met him. The worried thoughts seemed to surpass the thoughts of a lifetime in quantity. She stopped when she felt her thoughts overpower her she was halfway there now, she realised as she bent over and rested her hands on her knees to breathe heavily. She reminded herself simply to breathe and do nothing more than so.

She finally reached the grounds or what once used to be the private training grounds of her father on which he had trained her himself. The weed was growing in between the tiles and some had even had the strength to break through the tiles, Jun regretted that she hadn't come to the training grounds earlier. She could have cleaned up in the mess, but for now it had to do. She didn't care she told herself she came to train, the weeds she would have to deal with later.

The good news was that the roof didn't seem to have collided and everything was where it belonged. The glass was half full.

Jun began with easy exercise throwing some light punches and kicks, gradually letting it evolve naturally like her father used to design training programs. The first punches hurt her hands more than they damaged the dummy, she bit her teeth together and kept going even if it hurt. She hadn't trained in this brutal way for a long time and she knew that the pain would die, eventually. It all had to be a part of a natural development. Her punches and kicks became faster and every punch she delivered seemed to develop into stronger strikes. The pain had died, like everything else died. The skin on her knuckles got thinner and she could feel it peel off underneath the bandages. She left blood stains on the wooden dummy, she had bled through the bandages.

Finally overcome by all her emotions, which mostly consisted of anger she broke the dummy of solid tree in half. The tree splinters flew all around her and she didn't even bother to shield herself in any manner. She fell to the ground and unwrapped the bandages she had wrapped around her hands. The bandages couldn't even provide the protection she needed from the pain, pain she inflicted on herself. Her breaths were quick and many, she had to tell herself to take deep breathes. The tears once again welled up in her eyes but this time she didn't know what for. She heard something move behind the trees she looked up and saw nothing. She let it be, perhaps it was an animal she looked at the watch in her bag and she would soon have to return in hope of getting the clothes in and make dinner. She looked up to the sky and saw clouds darken in the horizon.

He stepped behind a tree as he saw her making her way to the path he stood by, she walked right past him without sensing his presence. He didn't understand why his body had reacted so unusually normally he would have stepped out and drawn attention to himself by making a witty remark. But he had reacted differently; he knew she would be mad if she knew he had followed her through the whole forest. He waited till he couldn't hear her footsteps and then he stepped out from behind the tree. He walked onto the training ground in the middle of the forest; he walked up to the training dummy she had broken over the middle. He looked at it and he stated to himself that it was her she had broken it in the middle with her own strength. He picked the upper part of the dummy up and examined it closer she had broken it with her own fists, but it seemed like some other force had made its way through her delicate hands. There were blood stains on the dummy, he apparently wasn't the only one who obsessed about his training. He had known from the moment he had laid his eyes on her that she was different from what she lead people to believe. She wasn't the innocent and pure lily that they all were mislead to believe and he knew it was a part of her plan, for she held a power much more powerful than any material arts, she was just as different as himself, even material arts where just as much in her blood as it was in his.

He walked on the same path he had seen her take following it for a while he had to conclude that she was out of sight for him. He cursed himself for not having followed her instead. The only thing he could do now was return to the house, that was if he could remember the way back.

Jun stood by the lake shore, the blessed feeling of water running between her toes was all she could think of. She took her shorts off and her tank top she made a pile by a tree, she tested the water once again. She walked deeper into the lake till she finally could swim, she swam around for the longest time and felt all her troubles leave her. She dove under the water and kept going till she didn't have any air in her lungs, she resurfaced and gasped desperately for the air.

Kazuya stepped inside her home looking for her, she had left the training ground and he had expected her to be home by now. He had even been inside her room looking for her, the whole house was empty as if she never had come back to live in it. He stepped outside and sat down on the porch, he looked at the forest and saw coloured sheets blowing on several clotheslines in front of it and a figure was moving around inside. He walked up to the sheets and stood there just looking at her move in between the sheets, her figure was lightly illuminated by the setting sun over the treetops.

"How can I help you Kazuya?" Jun asked him, Kazuya stood there silently not knowing how she had detected him "even if you don't speak Kazuya, you still breathe and I can hear you. Besides you aren't used to stepping on soft ground so you tread too violently" Jun spoke lowly and Kazuya saw her figure move around slowly as if she was expecting him to say something and was moving more slowly in the anticipation of hearing some words. Kazuya walked to the end of the clothesline and found her in the middle of the jungle of the sheets.

"What are you doing?" Kazuya asked her and stepped in to join her in between the sheets. Jun looked up at him as he stepped closer to her. Jun was standing in between the sheets the black shorts contrasted to her pale white legs yet the red colour of her top provided some warmth to her clothing. Jun sniffed and Kazuya looked up at her with concern in his eyes, then he noticed her hair was wet and held up in a bun.

"It's called cleaning," Jun said as she thought it would be the shortest answer and didn't call for any sort of further questioning. She continued peacefully hoping he wouldn't ask her any further questions.

"You know what I mean why did you leave Tokyo?" Kazuya asked her as he took one of the sheets off the clothesline and started to fold it. Jun looked at him and a smile crept over her lips.

"I didn't have anything to stay for" she answered him with a low voice which the wind barely managed to carry across to him. He looked at her and he knew she was telling the truth she had nothing to stay for, nothing at all.

"Why did you give up?" Kazuya asked her changing the course of the conversation though he still sought answers. Jun looked up at him she knew exactly what he was asking her about.

"I thought I already had answered you, there wasn't any reason for me to hang around. Clearly my presence wasn't wanted" she spoke and continued to fold the sheets, he new the last remark referred to the sudden change of opponents in the tournament. Was there a chance that she knew for certain?

"What happened to your hands?" Kazuya asked her when he saw them bandaged, anyone would ask about it if they didn't know what had happened so he figured that he better do so. Jun continued silently to fold the sheets absentmindedly, it crossed his mind that she might be thinking of some kind of excuse.

"Oh," Jun said before continuing "I almost forgot the next time you decide to spy on me I'd prefer you to just sit where I can see you, you clearly don't have the ability to hide" she spoke and saw how Kazuya froze when she had exposed him. He looked up at her and had to admit that he once again was amazed by her abilities.

"What about your job then?" he asked her.

"Are we still talking about why I left Tokyo?" she asked him and moved away from him. He followed her as she tore a sheet down from one of the clothesline.

"You could have won that match easily, I don't understand why you would want to loose!" Kazuya asked her only standing a couple of centimetres away form her.

"First of all I don't understand what it all means to you and why you keep asking me these questions" she blurted out while folding the sheet. Kazuya looked up at her and threw the sheet into the basket he grabbed her and looked straight at her.

"I care…" he told her, when he saw the look in her eyes change from fear to disgust he was silenced. Jun's head was filled with many thoughts the moment she felt his hands in contact with her body. She stood silently looking at him, he had told her he cared but she knew better than to believe him. If she didn't resist this time she would loose herself again and this time she would break for sure and this time she wouldn't be able to repair herself. She knew he had cared once, it was once and thereby in the past it had no relevance for the present anymore she told herself.

Jun escaped from his grip and stepped away from him, she continued to fold the sheets and curtains that hang to dry.

"Even if I had the abilities to survive the battle I had given up long before I even stepped into the arena, for there was no reason for me to stay in a place where I had nothing or no one." Jun's voice had suddenly become low and he could have sworn that he could hear the pain in her voice. She looked up at him with an apologetic smile and he couldn't understand why "The question of work is easy I got vacation, did you know I haven't had one since I started working in Tokyo I left everything in Yakushima behind. You know what, that was the biggest mistake I made in my life" Jun folded the last of the sheets and took the last sheet out of Kazuya's hand, she carried them inside in the basket as she left Kazuya standing on the grass.

"Come inside before it starts to rain, the clouds are gathering in the horizon" she told him as she stood by the door waiting for him to move.

The rest of the day passed in silence, no more confrontations no more spying. They had dinner in silence, she hadn't even asked him when he had planned to leave and he was grateful that she didn't for he didn't have an answer. It seemed more painful to him to share this meal with her than it had any other time. She even used the other end of her chopsticks to take food from the plate in the middle of the table, she hadn't done it before and he understood the insult*. She didn't even look at him she only stared into her bowl watching the noodles drown in the soup. She didn't feel the need to communicate with him, the feelings that at first had taken over her had now left her completely. The courtesy and etiquette had left her, it was more likely that she had left them than they her. She carried about silently as she had during the last week even forgetting that he was there at times. She would known when he entered the room even if she didn't see him enter. The air went cold and she felt just as hopeless as she had her entire life. His presence alone sent her over the edge.

Kazuya went upstairs to his room after the dinner relieved of the awkward silence and the tension which increasingly became unbearable. He laid down on the bed as he started to unbutton his shirt lazily, he couldn't understand how he had become so foolish as to having her tracked and go after her, even when he didn't dare. He couldn't spend the rest of his life gazing her way. What had he planned? What could he dare? When he didn't even know what it was. He felt an unknown force preventing him from doing what he longed for the most, just to taste her lips one last time, the feeling of her warm skin. Was he proud? Too proud to admit or reveal?

Kazuya's thoughts were interrupted by a knocking on the door. He shot his head up uncertain of wether or not he had heard correctly. A second knock came from the door.

"Yes" Kazuya answered getting up from his bed wondering what she wanted. Jun opened the door and became visible in the dark room, when her eyes reached his bare chest she quickly turned half around. She thought she had caught the glimpse of something.

"Sorry" quickly fled from her lips upon her intrusion, why would he let her in if he wasn't dressed? It must be normal for him, she thought to herself, fighting bare chested in front of the whole world what difference would a single woman make to the count? She thought further on the brink of laughter a small smile crawled on her lips. The smile quickly vanished when the sight of his scar had burned into her mind, so it was true. Kazuya stood silently wondering why she so quickly had turned around, was he repulsive now?

"I just wanted to ask you if you wanted tea?" she asked him while focusing all her attention on her nails.

"Sure..." he told her in an indifferent tone, she must love torturing herself he thought to himself thinking it was suicide to even ask him for tea. Suicide to be in the same room.

"Great..." she answered quickly while exiting "I'll see you downstairs" she said facing him as she closed the door. I can't be repulsive, Kazuya thought to himself.

What had made her ask him if he wanted tea? She couldn't understand her own actions, he had finally gone upstairs to his room and she could move around in her own home without feeling any kind of tension and then she had invited him downstairs for tea! She placed herself between a rock and a hard place. It didn't matter she thought to herself he would have smelled the scent and it would have been anything but polite not to ask him, she was the host after all. It wasn't the biggest worry, the scar was burned into her mind she feared him even more.

Kazuya walked down the stairs his shirt buttoned but not tugged, there was no need for that, he didn't want to make her more uncomfortable than it was he thought to himself and frowned. He couldn't understand why he accommodated to her needs so much, he ascended the last of the stairs while shaking his head. She had apparently heard him and so she was placing his cup on the table Kazuya reached out for it and touched her hand. Expecting her to withdraw her hand he held onto her hand, she looked up at him as she withdrew her hand with a small apologetic smile on her lips. She left the kitchen with her cup in her hand, so she wouldn't return to the kitchen. Apparently it seemed to him that she didn't like torture anyway, but he had to admit to himself that he was found of it. He followed her through the house until she stepped into what seemed a greenhouse looking gardening connected to the house seeing the table encircled by four chairs it seemed like a sort of sun lounge. He concluded it to be a half greenhouse and half terrace it stood open to the forest only providing shelter from the skies above.

The darkness had fallen and she had lit the place up with coloured rice lamps. She had placed her cup on the table and had wondered off somewhere in the greenhouse. Kazuya stepped carefully into the garden taking on a pair of shoes available, he walked nervously to the table. The greenhouse was apparently bigger than he first had gotten the impression of, big enough for her to hide in he thought. He could hear water run somewhere and her light footsteps over paving slab and at times gravel. She returned to the table frequently with fresh flowers, finally she returned to the table.

She started to arrange the flowers into a glass vase.

He couldn't understand how a person like her who possessed such great martial art abilities could have the patience for something like arranging flowers? How could she find it more relaxing than frustrating? He had to admit that she did look more tranquil than enraged while arranging them.

"Its my parents" she said out of a sudden breaking the silence "They found their tranquility together in this greenhouse" Jun met his eyes and smiled faintly. Kazuya felt taken back by the sudden information, why would she tell him something so private? Why would she tell him anything at all?

The fruit of her labour was nothing but a bouquet of flowers which later would wither and die, he couldn't understand why anyone would bother with something so trivial which for sure would evaporate and its existence would never be acknowledged.

"My father would care for the different bonsai's in this garden and she would care for her flowers" she said drinking the last of her tea "collaboration" was her last words before she left the table and started to cut twigs from the different plants particularly careful with the bonsai plants and watered some of them.

All this trouble for keeping the memory of someone who once used to exist alive.

"What kind of technique do you use?" he spoke of a sudden asking her, he could feel the curiosity grow in him. Jun suddenly stop cutting the bonsai and continued to the next astonished by his curiosity and courage to never stop poking her with his questions.

"What do you want to know? I participated in the tournament so you should know what technique I use!" she said angered by his curiosity, he quietly followed her and watered the plant she had left.

"All I know is that you are trained in the Kazama martial arts, but in all the matches in which you fought, I didn't see any trace of any kind of a physical strong movement with which you could break a wooden dummy in two" he told her revealing his thorough analysis of her fighting style. Jun was god smacked, she knew he could fight but she didn't know that he was so talented and that he had taken such interest in analysing her fighting style.

"Don't be flattered, it's in my best interest to know how the participants fight and their traits to figure out their strength and intellect for fighting and handling themselves in a fight" Jun's astonishment quickly turned to indifference, of course he would have everyone analysed everything else would be suicide she thought to herself, calming herself.

"So I assume you know some other technique..." he told her and drank the last of his tea while watering another plant. He didn't understand why he followed after her and watered the plants he as always cared as little as possible about the nature as he always had.

More than ever before she seemed like a witch to him conjuring her magic on him, luring him into the nature where she would hex him. Nature was devils playground so he had learned first hand.

"So that is your conclusion?" Jun asked him curious of how he possibly could have reached that conclusion without knowing everything about the art "Just because a specific martial art isn't based entirely on violent and destruction or of a brutal nature" Jun spoke referring to the martial arts he practised and he had understood her reference "Doesn't mean that the martial doesn't contain strong and destructive attacks, a gentle person can be just as strong and merciless in battle, as one who possesses nothing else but those emotions in his nature" Jun spoke with an unaffected voice. She continued to caretake for other plants moving away from him. Kazuya couldn't care less if she moved away from him, he had never heard her call herself a merciless fighter. Her actions indicated that she was a gentle person who couldn't think of hurting anyone on purpose, apparently she had a hidden side. Kazuya felt an urgent need to exact more control of himself than usual when around her, he felt an urgent need to feel her skin and taste her lips.

"Then you have secret talents? Or haven't you demonstrated the ultimate power you possess?" Kazuya asked feeling his curiosity grow, could she really be hiding something under that smile of hers? "You do know the meaning of participating in the The Iron Fist Tournament is to demonstrate that you are the most powerful martial artist," he taunted her underlining her failure.

"Not everyone are interested in obtaining power some are satisfied with just leading a normal life," she told him insulted by what seemed to her like a natural assumption, that any one who were bestowed with great power or abilities had to use them to obtain power or rule over others.

"That's right I forgot you only entered to spy..." he remarked letting her know that she wasn't as pure as driven snow.

"You're an asshole you know that..." she told him throwing the garden shears, she took the teacup from his hand and walked into the house.

"Nothing I haven't heard before..." he spoke silently

"What makes you think I am bound to have some special or secret talent? You don't think it is possible that the Kazama martial arts contain such strength?" she spat at him when she returned to the garden, Kazuya was surprised by her return. She too must have grown found of the delicate torture. Kazuya smiled to himself as she took her place beside him with the garden shears his taunting had succeeded and he could taste the fruit of his labour as he saw his plan unfold before him.

"Care to demonstrate?" he asked her as casually as possible and continued to water the plants.

"I'm not going to fight you, do you think me suicidal?" she asked him as she walked away from him and took a seat at the table.

"I'm not going to kill you, I'm just requesting a friendly match" he told her and then he remembered something that would assure his plan "You can't deny a friendly match, you know it's an old tradition to have friendly matches to show good will and friendship" he spoke as he sat down opposite her. She knew he was right, she couldn't deny his request her father never once had denied such a request and she wouldn't be the one to start the tradition, and it wouldn't be good manners she heard her mothers voice say in the back of her head. Once again she saw herself beaten by everything surrounding her.

"Alright… When?" she asked him, thinking that his answer surely would reveal something.

"Tomorrow 10 in the morning" he suggested and Jun knew by his answer that he had given it many thoughts. She simply nodded to his suggestion and left him alone in the garden.

Kazuya sat silently, satisfied. He would finally find out tomorrow what it was about her.

Jun walked down the stairs the next day tired of his constant preying eye, she felt like a victim worse a sinner in her own home. She walked into the kitchen only to find a cup of steaming tea waiting for her on the counter. She looked at the cup as if it had ascended from heaven, but it of course didn't come without a price. He was sitting right behind the counter reading a newspaper, she ran her hand through her hair rubbing her head. She experienced a returning headache when ever she was around him, she had prayed for it to go away before going to bed but of course it didn't. She ended up right where she started when she woke up in the morning. He looked up at her briefly and continued with stirring his coffee and reading the paper. She recognised the look in his eyes, she didn't look like a goddess when she woke up in the morning. She wasn't one of the lucky women in the world who could claim that they looked like goddesses in the morning, nor did she have any desire to be one of them. She thought that she had understood the look in his eyes she just didn't know that she had misinterpreted it.

She took a sip of the tea and was surprised as she swallowed it, it tasted exactly like she preferred it. She looked at him with a peculiar look in her eyes, she took some of the toast and sat across from him at the table. She sipped her tea most of the time only eating little of the food on the table. Why would he bother making the breakfast? She ate her toast in peace and sat silently basking in the sunlight stretching her neck she felt the rays hit her skin. Her thoughts were disturbed when she heard the paper hit the table surface.

"You've got an hour," he said out aloud and she heard him make his way up the stairs. She opened her eyes and was blinded by the sun, what had she been thinking?

Jun walked downstairs after having dressed into something more appropriate for a battle or what he had chosen to call a friendly match. She saw him sitting outside on the porch ready to leave, he got up when he saw coming. She locked the door behind herself and could see how his eyes traveled up her body. She readjusted the bag on her shoulder as she headed towards the woods. Closely followed by Kazuya, he tried to memorise the path they stepped on. It seemed like it was some secret path only visible to her.

"Doesn't the village have a dojo?" He asked her breaking the silence, speaking to her for the first time since morning.

"The only one lies further up the path that lead you to the house. It hasn't been in use for a long time, it's Kazama property" she told him not slowing down once as she explained. She remembered how she once had asked her father why he had placed it so far away from the village. It hadn't made sense to her it, if he wanted more students it would be better to be placed nearby the village instead of a place so secluded. Her father laughed when he heard her thoughts spoken out loud. He told her that she was right, if he wanted more students he would place the dojo closer to the village. What she hadn't realised was that this way he knew that the students that came all the way to the dojo to receive training were dedicated. They wouldn't give up lightly and it also served a disciplinary goal.

When they reached the private training grounds, she threw her bag in one corner and took off her jacket. She started to wrap bandages around her hands before she pulled black gloves on. Her black shorts were a great contrast to the deep purple top she was wearing. She tied her hair up in a bun before she stepped into the encircled area that defined the arena. Kazuya straightened his jeans before he stepped in, he stopped in front of her and looked at her while he pulled his trademark red gloves on.

"Some rules?" she asked him. He only looked at her and nodded as he adjusted his tank top.

"No tricks, no unnecessary brutal hits or combinations, no grabs..." she continued but was interrupted by Kazuya.

"No grabs?" he asked her critically "Why don't you just take all the fun out of it? How about grabs allowed but no execution of it?" he suggested finding it more than reasonable.

"Alright, it sounds fine. We play by points, a person on the ground and grabs one point" she suggested and he nodded in confirmation.

Kazuya took a step back and examined her, she stood quietly as if trying to guess what cruelties he could be capable of. Her fists protected her abdomen, defensive as he had figured. Jun looked at him, his posture his stance everything only revealed that he belonged in the fighting arena. His fists were raised, he dominated the battlefield. Kazuya stepped forward as he launched a kick aimed for her abdomen, Jun quickly blocked and saw him progress towards her. His fist ready to strike, Jun ducked to quickly get out of his way. He moved faster than she expected from a man of his size. She hit him with an elbow in his abdomen and punched him in the face. Kazuya stepped back regretting his hasty actions. Jun ran towards him not giving him the option to recover fully, he adapted quickly to her punches and kicks. But amidst it all she had stepped behind him and kicked his calf forced him down on his knee she punched him on his shoulder causing him to fall to the ground. Jun walked back to the centre and waited for him to get back on his feet. Kazuya got up dusting some dirt off of his shoulder. He turned around to face her once again, her abilities were greater than he had judged them to be. He walked towards her executing several punches as he came toward her. Jun blocked the most of them but he was successful. He got through her defence with some of the punches, seeing his chance he grabbed her neck and forced her down on her knees with terror struck eyes she saw his fist pull up ready to strike she nodded desperately acknowledging it was his point. He let go of her, well knowing that it was his point.

They continued for some time and Kazuya avoided attacking her as much as possible and let her dominate the battle. She used much of her energy trying to hit him and most of the time she was successful. Kazuya suddenly grabbed her and threw her to the ground he landed a punch next to her head. Jun barely managed to move her head away from his fist. She could have sword she saw lightning surround his fist as he struck the ground next to her head.

Kazuya stopped attacking her, he turned his back to her and walked to the edge of the training ground. Jun lowered her hands and relaxed had he given up? She rested her hands on her hips and breathed heavily in. She saw him pull his tank top off over his head, he dried his face in it and threw it to the ground and swallowed most of the water from his water bottle. He turned around to face her again, and saw her breathing heavily for the air. She was clearly getting tired he concluded, there couldn't be much time left.

"Getting tired already?" he taunted her with a grin on his face.

"Is it harder to fight me than you thought?" she replied to his taunt and she saw a smile creep onto his lips when he heard her reply.

"No you're just as tough as I had you figured out but you're lasting longer than I thought you would" he told her walking towards the centre ready again to fight her.

Jun launched several kicks forcing him to step backwards to avoid her attacks, he continued to walk backwards until he tripped over something. He quickly grabbed her arm and she stood still not knowing what to expect.

"You're out of the ring" she told him as he held on to her. He looked at her and down on the carved line, his foot was inside and he hadn't stepped outside yet.

"Not yet," he told her and pulled her arm hardly, Jun stepped back letting him into the ring again. On the verge of losing her patience she kicked him harder than intended the kicks strength surprised him and he took the blow to his abdomen. He looked up at her intrigued by this sudden strength. He lunged at her throwing her to the ground he sat on her. Holding both her arms she was defeated, or so he thought. She lifted her head hoping that she could head-butt him, knowing very well that she was violating what they had agreed upon. Kazuya moved away knowing what she intended but he still held her arms.

She had felt him loose control his attacks were still controlled but they contained much more strength than before, worst of all she was the one loosing control over herself, she was tempted.

"We should stop," she told him as she looked up at him breathing desperately for more air in her lungs. He looked down at her surprised that she was willing to give up even when a possible victory was waiting her.

"Fine," Kazuya answered trying to sound as displeased as possible, when the truth was that he couldn't control the force he was using against her. He was more than happy that she decided to end the battle now. He got up from her and offered her his hand as a gesture of good will, a weird expression overtook her eyes as she looked at him. The scenario seemed to familiar to her, she rejected his gesture as she got up on her own. Jun walked to her bag and drank water from her bottle, she saw Kazuya had gathered his things and was once again dressed as she saw him advancing towards her. She got up and offered him a bottle, he took it while nodding. They started to walk back towards the house and the before difficult path, or as he had convinced himself invisible path now became more clear to him.

"So who won?" Kazuya asked her and took a gulp from the bottle. Jun didn't reply at first thinking that his question was odd, what did it matter who had won? It was nothing more than a friendly match, but of course it meant something for a man like him if he had lost or won.

"I don't know, a draw perhaps" she told him speculative, answering what she thought would be a satisfying answer for the situation, the most diplomatic an answer they both could live with. Jun felt something pulling her bag down and when she looked she saw his hand leaving the bag. The water bottle was back in her bag where it belonged.

"It sounds fair" Kazuya answered and Jun was surprised that he didn't even bother to start an argument with her.

He again walked behind her and he felt an urgent need to control himself, he rarely met any women who he cared enough about to wast time on them. He had never been drawn to a woman like he had been drawn to her, she was a mystery to him and he knew she was no better than him.

She was more than pleasant to him now, she knew her martial arts and she was the only one who had held up against him no other had managed it before, even if the rules had been changed to spare both. He enjoyed the sight of a sweat glistening Jun, her muscle tone was even more clear as she glistened. He had never before seen a more beautifully sculpted woman. He had come to admire her for her abilities and respect her for her beliefs, even if they were much different from his own. He couldn't understand it, why her?

Of all the female creatures that existed this was the one he was tied to and he was the callous Kazuya Mishima.

They finally arrived to the house after what seemed a tiring walk after a battle. He followed Jun inside and made his way up the stairs as she stopped in the kitchen and pored water in a glass.

"I'm going to take a shower," he told her half way up, he didn't hear any answer but only the tapping of her feet.

"Wait" Jun shouted and he turned to see her by the end of the stairs she was looking at him "I haven't had the pipes fixed yet, the water goes hot and cold by its own will" Jun told him as if it was a life changing knowledge.

"Alright," Kazuya answered and continued to walk up the stairs.

"Let me try to see what I can do" she told him, clearly he hadn't understood what she had meant, she started to walk up the stairs only two steps behind him. She walked into the bathroom and started to fumble with the water and the pipes. She stood right in front of him he stood silently as he saw her treat the situation like it was some dangerous procedure.

"I don't know how you..." the words she spoke disappeared and he could only focus on the figure standing in front of him. She leaned over the tub and he could hear the water running, her skin glistened in the sun rays that hit her. Kazuya leaned over her and brushed the hair away from her neck and kissed her skin. She tasted salty. He felt her stiffen under his touch, she turned around to face him slowly. He stood silently and resolute before her. She looked scared not knowing what to do.

She looked in his eyes, something strange and cold still dwelled in him she broke from his hold and walked out of the bathroom shutting the door in the process with a big bang.

Jun walked around the house after having taken a shower in her private bathroom. She hadn't walked around the whole house only in front of a certain door. She hadn't been behind the doors since she had cleaned the house. She touched the door knob lightly and dragged her foot forward, she stepped inside with one foot and felt herself being pulled back. She looked behind her and saw that her blouse was entangled with the doorknob. She quickly pulled it tearing it a part a little, she looked at the tear and let the blouse fall around her body again. She felt the end of the blouse swing back and forth as she walked it would gently stroke her knees. Her grey shorts seemed of a much warmer colour when compared to the atmosphere of the room. The deep green of her tank top seemed more grey than green. She walked to one of the bookshelves and ran her hand over the books back as she approached the desk in front of the fireplace. She took one of her favourite books out and sat down behind the desk. She flipped through the books pages as they depicted muscular figures performing different counter attacks. She placed the book on her fathers desk, and looked at the picture he had. They seemed happy then. Her father, mother and her brother. She hadn't seen him for the longest while he had moved away long before she had, and he would occasionally call her or write to her, but they became more rare and seldom. She looked at the drawer in the desk, she placed her hand on the last drawer the handle was surprisingly cold. She pulled it out it only moved a little and then it stopped suddenly. It was locked. Jun looked on the desk and turned everything over but the key wasn't there. She looked in the little box over the fireplace and found the key in it. She pulled the drawer out carefully, she found nothing in it but a book.

She opened it and recognised her fathers handwriting in it, he had written different techniques down and scribbled small stickmen like figures demonstrating what he meant. Jun chuckled at the small drawings her father could do it better than that. Jun flipped through the pages and found a journal at the end. Jun considered to close it and put it back and respect her fathers private thoughts but even she was overcome with curiosity.

Jun started to read a random page.

"Jun's progresses are remarkable, she shows real promise. She is eager to learn and do her best, always trying to please everyone around her in such a young age. She is even I regret to say learning faster than her brother. He could do just as good as her if only he wanted, I have tried for the longest time now to spark an interest in him but it doesn't matter I have taught him what I could, he wishes to walk his own path and I must respect him for making the choice he did. HE talked about developing his own techniques somehow I fear he is displeased with the passiveness of the martial art I have taught him.

Jun wishes to learn more, I cannot be a less good teacher for her in the try of getting an interest from her brother. She deserves better" Jun stopped reading she closed the journal and was about to put it back but instead she turned the page and continued to read.

"Jun once again shows great progress, but I am worried for her well being. For everyday she learns more and becomes stronger but her nightmares do not stop plaguing her. I am under the impression that they only get worse and I fear for my daughter. I know she has a great future to fulfil, but I cannot stop wanting anything else for her but her safety. I only wish for her to go to sleep at night and not fight a battle a child shouldn't face. I tend on keeping a record of the nightmares and how she describes them, if they show some connection to the training she is receiving I will stop teaching her instantly" Jun this time didn't stop her interest was to great to be stopped what did her father know that she didn't?

"I must confess I fear now more than ever before for my daughter. Her nightmares are getting more brutal and morbid, she wakes us in the night with terrible and tortured screams. It is unbearable for me to see my child suffer while I must stand by and look at her battle her demons in such a young age.

I know see the connection for everyday she not only becomes a better martial artist her abilities become stronger and she can foresee things long before they happen. This is not the only knowledge I have gained this powers can be used advantageously if used proper, I remember from my own childhood how the abilities were mastered. I must find new ways to teach her, to teach her to master them properly so she can make use of this wretched curse which I passed on to her. Though it is not a curse but perceived as a blessing amongst the Kazama, I doubt the others would think of it as a blessing if it were their child."

Jun turned the paged and continued to read eagerly.

"I do not fear her nightmares any longer, I have spoken with the others, they tend to agree with me.

Now I fear what will happen if I do not train her and prepare her, what will happen if she isn't ready? What will happen to my sweet daughter if I do not prepare her? I fear I must become her master, and abandon the father I am." the tears pressed in the corner of her eyes but she fought them and kept them at bay.

"I do not care if the world is engulfed by fire I only wish happiness for my daughter, she shouldn't be burden with such a grave task. She is so talented at everything she sets her mind to. I am sure she will succeed.

She is supposed to save this person, be someones salvation! My daughter is supposed to save some random stranger. How can I let this future befall my daughter the daughter I love so dearly? Yet I fear she knows nothing of the love, for I long ago abandoned being a father. I chose to become her master and doom her to this fate. Instead of changing her fate and yet I know that even if I did it would have found her.

I fear she hates me, hates me for the choice I made" Jun closed the journal and locked it where it belonged. Jun rested her head on the table tears silently made their way down her cheek. She hated herself more than ever before. She heard the clattering of the pipes dim down, she got up and locked the door behind her as she wiped her tears away. He could be down any minute.

He walked down the stairs silently and saw her standing in the kitchen, it seemed to him like it was the place he saw her more frequently. Her hiding behind the role of being a host. She hadn't noticed him coming down the stairs, but suddenly she shot her head up. He hadn't even made a sound. She looked at him and stiffened, she turned her focus back to what she was preparing. She had made the dish so many times that she didn't need to concentrate as much as she pretended to. Kazuya noticed her stiffen, she did it more frequently and it became more distinct for every time he entered the room or was in her presence. Her every movement suddenly became very controlled and she never made an unnecessary move. She wasn't that chatty either since the first steps back from the training ground, her silence was what dominated the atmosphere of her home and he knew that the house had been silent for many years. At first when he met her she seemed so fearless then she had seemed curious to know who he was, but now she didn't care and avoided any unnecessary communication. She only looked at him when she had to, when it was necessary. He went back outside to relive her of his company he sat down on the porch he sat silently as he stared at the treetops. Even the garden that lay at his feet wasn't beautiful or interesting enough to keep his interest.

He didn't understand why her parents would need two gardens.

He heard the chopping sounds stop followed by a deep and heartfelt sigh. She was relieved by when he had left her presence. Jun breathed deeply calming herself before she continued, he wondered what made her so anxious around him.

When he heard the water running again he knew her back would be turned to him, so he ventured into the house once again.

He saw her stiffen again her shoulders lightly pulled up. She had momentarily stopped washing dishes but continued again with the greatest concentration when she heard his footsteps. He walked right up to her taking a glass from the cupboard. He held it close to the faucet indicating he needed water without speaking to her. She saw the glass and removed her glass from under the running water and turned the tap for complete cold water. He filled the glass while staring at her from the side, she knew he was staring. She decided to concentrate on the glass for apparently he didn't care if the water ran over its boarders. It seemed like an eternity for Jun to watch the water fill the glass up. Kazuya removed the glass when he felt the water on his finger which he had placed on the inside of the glass. He stood beside her as he finished the glass of water, he stared at her as if he was trying to read her mind. What secrets would her mind reveal? What dreams? What hopes? And the most intriguing question of them all, what secret lusts?

Jun felt the air fill up with tension as he placed the glass under water and moved longer behind as if to pass by her and then exit the room. She didn't know what he wanted and if she didn't she couldn't give it to him and what if she did know could or would she give it to him?

Jun stood even more still unable to move his scent reached her nostrils and she breathed it in slowly savouring every bit of it, his smell had become a drug to her he was an intoxication and she loved every second of his presence. She had begun to doubt if she could live without his scent, she felt it work as it crawled slowly up to her brain. That smell she didn't know what it was, all she knew was that it was him and the scent equalled his presence. He smelled of wood, incense, cologne and something else she didn't know what was. The wood and incense probably came from the dojo he spent so much time in she could picture him in her mind in the lightly dimmed dojo moving swiftly and powerfully through the room performing his very best, that was him the very best of him in an arena there she knew she could count on a hundred percent from him. Then there was his distinctive cologne very much like him, at first you wouldn't notice it much it would seem like any other cologne but when your senses had surely registered it, the cologne would hit you like a thunderbolt and then you would realise what you had undergone and it was to late to resist. It was a dark and distinctive cologne it was powerful and had its own aroma. It was temptation itself; it was what his presence would feel like in a bottle. She thought it was impossible to capture his presence in a bottle but it had been captured. There was only one scent she loved more and that was the scent of his sweat and then she knew for sure that she was in the presence of a man. She had gotten used to the men of Tokyo, every one of them smelled of cologne and more than she would like to she would wonder if they had showered in the cologne every trace of them being men had disappeared, every trace of them being human had vanished. They didn't have their own scent unlike him.

God knew she didn't want to admit it but she had loved every moment they spent in her apartment, he would leave his scent behind a memory for her to savour and remember him by.

Jun was jolted back to reality when she felt his hands touch hers under the water.

She withdrew her hand quickly and placed it on the edge of the table. He stood silently behind her, his hands ran down her arm and he placed them on top of her hands. Making escape impossible. He intwined his fingers with hers and felt no resistance but he could feel her breathing stop. She felt his chest touch her lightly as it rose and fell calmly. He stood silently with her for a while until she had started to breathe again, long and controlled breaths. She had closed her eyes, he saw through her reflection on the window.

"What is it Jun?" he whispered gently in her ear, she stiffened a little when she first heard his whisper but her shoulders fell down when his whispers reached her heart.

"What is it about me that makes you so nervous? What is it about me that forces you to be so quiet? To be so controlled What is it about me that you fear so greatly? What evil is it you presume that I possess? What kind of fear am I able of awake in the deepest and darkest places in your heart and soul?" he asked her all the questions that ever had plagued his mind, Jun turned her head away from him when he asked her all the questions. She couldn't answer any of them.

"And yet I awake other feelings in you whenever I speak to you or touch you. What are those feelings I awake in you? Why do you feel them whenever I speak to you? Why do you feel torn apart when I touch you?

What are those feelings you can feel and even I can feel stir inside of you, tearing you apart from the inside?" he continued to ask her and she felt those feelings stir inside of her and tear her apart. All he had to do was touch her just his hand on her hand was able to trigger those emotions. She turned her head up and stared out of the window. She looked through the glass and looked at the forest that lay outside her home. What could she answer?

All she had wanted was clarity. She pulled her hands out form underneath his hands. She turned in his hold she looked straight at him.

"What about you Kazuya? You were the one to show up on my doorstep unannounced!" she exclaimed demanding answer from him instead "What do you want from me? What do you think I can offer you?" she questioned him and she felt him move a little. This time he was the one to avoid her eyes. No eyes he ever had cared about seemed so judgemental. He didn't know what he was doing in her home he guessed it was the feeling that got him out here, like the night she showed up on his doorstep.

"You have much to offer to a person like me," he said running his hand through her hair, she slapped his hand away.

"What do you think I can do for you?" she asked him "I'm not you redemption, Kazuya!" she stated before she broke form him hold. She walked out of the kitchen and walked out on the porch, Kazuya followed her puzzled by her choice of word.

"What do you mean redemption?" he asked her when he reached her.

"I felt it Kazuya!" Jun was on the verge of screaming "The night I came to you house, there was this strange presence as if my guts would be pulled out if I entered your home. Since then I knew something was wrong..." she let it all out in one single breath, afraid that if she stopped to breathe she wouldn't have the courage to tell him.

"And what did this presence consist of? " he asked her, curious to know and hear her answer. Did she have any idea of how much information she already had gained? Did she know she was right? Did she know what she had discovered about him?

"I instantly froze, it was a feeling of something penetrating me, able to see and tell all my secrets and hidden desires just by one single look" she confessed to him everything she had felt that night "I felt empty, invisible and yet a feeling of anger rose in my" she spoke afterwards thinking carefully about the words she chose to express herself.

"I felt it snatch every hope, dream and any hope for a future from me, I felt nothing. I was cold any sign of human emotions stripped from me. Solitude and desolation was what was left for me"

Weighing every feeling and emotion before she spoke, wrinkles appeared on her forehead. She formed them and weighed her thoughts and feelings, to see if it was true and coincided. He listened carefully to every word she pronounced as if his life was dependent on the words she spoke and most of all the knowledge she possessed in her memory could be vital. She had with few words summed up every feeling he ever had felt the many past years. She stared out into the forest, it was as if she found all her strength from it and all serenity. It all was lying at her feet, waiting.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." he stated to her "I've never felt like that" he told her.

She looked at him in disbelief, she searched his eyes for the truth.

"Of course you don't," she spoke and left him on the porch.

Jun had reminded him of the wretched creatures existence whose curse he had welcomed willingly even when he knew at what cost he didn't care, all he had thought of was revenge. Now it's curse coursed through his veins. The creature hadn't plagued him for the longest while and he wondered how it could be that he couldn't sense his influence. His whispers had died ever since he had arrived to Yakushima, they faded away every time he was near her.

He didn't care about the cost he had to know more about her. What was she? Kazuya thought as he stared at the sky above, he too often found himself more than he would like to staring at the sky.

The dinner passed with the same awkward silence, it seemed like they both had grown accustomed to it. It had become a part of the atmosphere around them. She cleaned after they had eaten and he went to his room and stayed out of her way the rest of the evening. Not even her late night tea could bring her to his door. She only had one question on her mind why would he lie to her? She could she it in his face, she wasn't stupid and he didn't know how to lie. Maybe to the rest of the world but not her, he had seemed too cold too detached to what she had told him and yet he listened to every word she said carefully.

_Jun walked through a field of white tulips they seemed to grow every where and out of nothing. She continued to walk as she let her hands ran over the petals of the gentle flowers, they danced to gentle winds command. Nothing seemed a more peaceful task but to be at the mercy of the wind and dance at its command. The sky roared and the heavy rain started to fall Jun ran seeking shelter but everything had turned dark. Not even the white tulips were visible. Lightning tore the sky and illuminated the field, Jun saw a tree in the horizon and started to run. She felt the mud between her toes it grew cold for every second. The lightning disappeared and yet the tulips seemed to illuminate the field with their innocent glow. Finally Jun stood under the great maple tree. It seemed familiar to her she walked around it while her hand ran on its surface. She closed her eyes and felt the familiar bark under her skin. She opened her eyes it was the tree from Tokyo, but she wasn't in Tokyo. She looked around herself she wasn't in Tokyo, no place in Tokyo contained such a place of beauty. The rain fell with thicker and thicker drops, her white gown was wet and she was soaked to the bone yet she stood on the edge of the shelter the maple tree provided. She lifted her hand and felt the cold drops hit her hand heavily. She stood quietly engaged in her own thoughts she had never seen or been in such a place, its beauty seemed to be greater than the beauty of Yakushima. It wasn't very often that she had laid her eyes upon a place that was more beautiful than Yakushima._

_This place somehow gave her the tranquility she somehow now missed in Yakushima, even the storm didn't seem to frighten her or even scratch her tranquility._

_Suddenly she felt something lick her hand, she spun quickly around even when she had the feeling that she didn't need to be alarmed. She turned around to face two brown eyes gazing into hers, it was a deer. She patted it on its head as it walked closer to her and rubbed its head against her. She continued to pat it and run her hand along its soft and smooth fur. She looked at the ground and saw maple leafs spread across the ground in which the tree had its roots in. She picked a leaf up by its twig and twirled it between her fingers as she rose and stood straight once again. She twirled it again and it was first then she noticed the figure in the distant horizon. She saw it move closer to her by every step it took. It came nearer to her and she stood mesmerised. It plucked one of the tulips as it moved closer to her, she felt the deer stiffen as it observed the figure moving closer to them slowly. It stepped back and ran. Jun turned around and saw it run over the field of tulips, what was it that had scared it so much that it felt the need to flee. She didn't feel the same anxiety which it had felt she had to confess. She turned around and the figure stood only inches from her. It rose its hand and gave her the tulip she took it from its cold hands. It seemed to be nothing but a cold black shadow. She heard the trampling of hooves she turned to see the deer leap once again across the field at great speed. It once again stood before her with a dagger in its mouth she looked at it confused. It threw it to the ground at her feet she saw the terror in its eyes as it stepped back. She turned quickly and barely managed to see the black shadow lunge at her the tulip fell from her hands, she fell to the ground with it on top of her._

_She had the dagger in her hand and had stabbed it in what she suspected to be its abdomen. The shadow was paralysed and it fled leaving the body of Kazuya Mishima behind. She saw him lying on top of her as her breath suddenly stopped, she was mortified. She saw the look in his eyes, it was disbelief. She placed her hand on his face as she looked at him with great sorrow in her eyes. She felt a warm liquid run over her fingers and eventually it ran over her hand, she felt it wet her dress and warm her skin. She placed his body on the ground next to her as she looked at him. She placed her hand on his cheek and he held her hand with his as he looked up at her, he closed his eyes. Jun finally let go of the dagger, she crawled back on all four in disbelief. She looked at her hand and saw the red blood as a contrast to her pale white hands. The tears rushed down her face and washed the blood away from her hands. The deer approached her calmly when it reached her it licked the tears away from her face, as if it was comforting her. She looked up at it and saw into what she had thought was pure innocent eyes, trustworthy eyes. She crawled back to the dead body of Kazuya, she took a hold of his shoulders and shook him violently. He didn't respond. She took him in her arms and cradled him in her cold arms as she rocked back and forth in despair. The tears continued to stream down her face and they hit his face like small gentle raindrops. The deer looked at her and walked around them in a circle, it looked at her with disgust and disappointment for the choice she had made, before it ran into the fields and disappeared. She remained behind in the dirt, her white gown drenched in mud and blood yet she continued to cradle him in her arms.**_

_The tulip lay on the ground drenched in blood._

Jun woke up sitting up straight in her bed. She didn't know if a scream had escaped her lips, but she felt her face with the top of her fingers in the darkness. Her face was moist she had been crying in sleep. She sat in her room quietly when she heard the floor crack her sight turned to the door. She laid down in her bed again and stared out of the glass door. She could only she the clouds gathered in the sky only once in a while broken by a rare ray of light from the moon. She closed her eyes trying to erase the pictures of a bleeding Kazuya.

Kazuya once again found himself standing outside her room, ready to knock but his hand never touched the wooden door.  


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AN:

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and I apologise again for updating so late. I'll update regularly from now on every Saturday, so if you're interested in reading more come back this Saturday!

Here in the bottom you'll find the different explanation of the different references.

^ Reference to the song "Stronger than Jesus" by A Camp from their album Colonia, owned by the respective associates.

Using the other end of the chopsticks (not the end you eat with) is considered more sanitary when sharing food with people from the same dish, but when you are sharing food with relatives or close friends it doesn't matter.

** The different things used in the dream sequence are used for their symbolic value. I'm writing them down here if anyone should be interested in knowing their symbolism and thereby gain a better understanding of the dream.

Rain - purification or revelation

Maple leaf - Japanese symbolic value: emblem of lovers

Tulips - Persian symbolic value: perfect love

Deer - Japanese symbolic value: attribute of gods of longevity but also solitariness and melancholy

Dagger - masculinity

Blood - The life principle, the soul

Shadow - the negative principle compared to the sun, in primitive tribes = the soul

Black - Primordial darkness, corruption, the non-manifest = the void


	17. Chapter 17 Heavy Rain

Hi to everyone!

Quick apologies for updating two whole days later than I promised, I had major internet problems it didn't let me get anywhere! I apologies a lot to you guys!?

Quick shout outs to,

DEGxMDM, I really appreciate that you like this story and look forward to knowing what you think of the coming chapters.

CoF666, Very glad that you like it! And i'll try to be consistent but it just seems like every time I try to upload something goes terribly wrong! Hoping to hear more from you to.

Also I'd like to ask you guys for a big favor, I love doing the dream sequences and I love playing with symbolism. So what I want you guys to tell me is; are they understandable? Is there anything coming across vaguely as in incomprehensible? And one last thing Do they integrate with the rest of the story?  
I'd love to get some feedback on the dream sequences that have occurred, but also in general ;)  
Let me know if there is something about the dreams that doesn't make any sense and I'll try to sort the mess out when I post the next chapter

Enough rant from me, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter and let me know what you think, greatly appreciated!!!

- ascho

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Chapter 17 - Home pt. 2 

Kazuya laid down in his bed once again, he should have knocked, he should waken her from her dream. He didn't know if she still had wandered in her nightmare as he stood outside her door, too much of a coward to have the courage to knock on her door. The darkness was still heavy outside. He felt his eyelids get heavier with all the worries...

_Kazuya opened his eyes again and found himself in the middle of a dessert, the sun was nowhere to be seen. The dark skies were only illuminated by the scarce light from the moon. It seemed much bigger and brighter than what he was used to see it like in Tokyo, but everything felt different._

_He saw a road appear in front of his eyes, he felt his eyes deceived him. The path formed itself and he saw it form as it disappeared into the horizon. He started to walk on the path, he didn't know where it would take him but he didn't know where else he could go. He walked for what seemed to be an eternity to him, he felt his feet hit something when he turned his sight down to look at the path he discovered a bright red coloured fan lying on the ground. He often dreamed of standing in the dessert but then it was always desolate and empty. No moon in the sky, the sky was only black as it always had seemed to be for him with the red sand beneath his feet. It had been a quiet place for him, others thought of the dessert as an inhospitable place yet it always seemed to have its arms open to him. Welcoming him every time he return to this godforsaken place._

_A mist appeared and spread over the desert making the outlines of the path less visible. Yet he walked on what he thought to be the path. The mist got thicker as he continued to walk. He walked until he came to a crossroad, he stood by the crossroad not knowing which way to go. He stood still looking at the three paths that were ahead of him, trying to see if there was any difference in the horizon, he didn't know what it was he looked for. What small insignificant differences would he find in the horizon? He looked up again examining the path from right to left. Yet his eyes lingered for a longer while on the path to his left he turned towards the path but exactly in the moment he turned toward the path to his left he heard gentle footsteps coming from behind him._

_He turned around, fists up ready to fight, his fan now in his back pocket, the red colour stronger than what it had been before. The colour got deeper for ever step he took._

_He saw a figure approaching from the mist, yet it seemed to be no mist around the figure. Magnolias and peonies bloomed where ever the figure walked past. The figure appeared to be dressed in a hooded long sleeved cloak, disguising it. He walked forward so he stood in the middle of the crossroad, the figure approached him and stood in front of him. A brooch depicting a sparrow held the cloak together. The figure didn't move it only stood still in front of him, he felt the magnolias and peonies spring up from the dessert sand beneath his feet as he stood in front of the figure. He lowered his hands sure of his feelings that told him he didn't need to fear. He lifted his hand and placed it on the brooch that kept the figure enshrouded in darkness. As he pressed the needle out of place a hand darted out from beneath the cloak, it held his hand in check. He couldn't free his hand from its pale warm hands, they seemed familiar to him. He heard a cuckoo cry in the darkness yet it was no where to be seen. It continued to cry in the black night. He felt himself struck with insecurity. He looked at the pale hand and a contrary feeling told him he had nothing to fear. The pale hand removed his hand from the cloak and turned him to the path in the middle. Kazuya turned but was unwilling to take the steps toward it. The figure again stood still and cries of the cuckoo only got louder. Unable to stand the pain of the cuckoo he moved his feet toward the path. He stood at the roots of the path not stepping on it. The pale hand lead his hand to the brooch and placed his hand on it. The hand sank and disappeared in the cloak. Uncertain of what he wanted he looked at the path behind him. The path from where the figure had come was enveloped it darkness the path behind him in light. This path the figure had lead him to was bathed in twilight. It had to mean the sun had been there. He removed the brooch and saw it fall to the ground._

_He looked at her in surprise, it was Jun. She stood silently in front of him he lifted his left hand to touch her cheek, to see if it truly could be her. She lifted her left hand and stopped his in mid air. First then he noticed the ring on his ring finger. The metal weighed heavy on his finger now that he had laid his eyes upon it, and yet he hadn't noticed its presence before. He looked at her hand, their rings were identical._

_She lifted her right hand and placed it on his cheek, he found great comfort in her touch. She moved closer to him until their foreheads touched, his head bowed lightly to meet hers. The mist cleared around him and started to vanish. She kissed him and he felt the warmth of her lips, he placed his right hand behind her neck keeping her in the kiss longer than she had anticipated. They continued together on the path in the middle. The mist was gone no where in sight._

_They kept on walking when the silence of the night was interrupted by the wailing of the crow. He looked at her but she didn't seem to take notice of it, she smiled to him like she always did and his worries died and his confidence was replenished. For the first time he noticed she was a long black dress that covered her feet with peonies in the bottom they grew as they crawled upwards her dress and became of brighter reds and pinks._

_He had never seen her in black._

_She looked even more beautiful, if it was possible. She continued to walk and he followed behind her. The road suddenly ended and they stood their hand in hand not knowing what was next to come, yet he was calmed by her tranquil spirit. She didn't seem distressed. He kissed her again and she only welcomed him, her warm lips stirred feelings in him he never thought possible. Peonies grew under their feet and spread all over the dessert around them. Suddenly he heard light footsteps behind her, he moved her protectively behind himself. He saw a white figure run across the dessert at first. He soon recognised it as being a white fox, but there wasn't only one fox. It was soon joined by two other and they ran like the great little flock they were. He turned to face Jun again she had a finger in her mouth. He looked at her worried not understanding her action, he moved closer to her but she didn't remove her finger from her mouth. He saw a tree grow behind her and its truck revealed a mirror. He stepped around her and walked to the mirror, he saw her figure turn as she followed him._

_He stood in front of the mirror gazing into its depths. He saw a purple figure appear in it, he stepped back as he saw it. He saw many other things which he didn't expect to see, why were what he perceived as good qualities shown to him? He was decisive, he was strong and he had power. He saw the effect of his character, how others bowed to his will what became of them who didn't bow and those who bowed. They all suffered. He saw the monster he was becoming. The reflection became blank again and he saw the look in her eyes, disbelief. She stepped back when he turned around and approached her. Suddenly his hand felt lighter, he looked at it only to see that the ring was gone. Dragon flies flew everywhere underneath the tree attracted to it for what it might have to offer to their survival. They gathered under the tree in great number. He saw her shake her head in disbelief, no words erupted from her mouth she stood silently. The mist returned to the dessert once again and the peonies disappeared underneath the thick mist. He saw a pheasant approach Jun from behind it stood in front of her and spread its colourful feathers protectively hiding her behind them. She disappeared in the feathers. He stretched his arm to reach out for her but the pheasant lead her away into the dark. Kazuya fell to his knees in despair, his body hit the dessert sand. He felt the mist closing in on him getting thicker for every moment of his despair._

_He saw the dawn breaking the darkness in the horizon and he was sure he saw her figure disappear in it as he stretched his hand out to her in one last desperate cry for help. He felt the fan he had in his back pocket it had broken somehow even it couldn't shield him against the light, it hadn't been worth anything at all in the end. He saw her figure fade in the bright light.*_

Jun got up earlier than she used to, she had been out running in the woods early in the morning. There was nothing like the fresh dew on plants in the morning. So she told herself, but it wasn't why she jogged in the morning. Sometimes she thought that if she ran fast enough she just might be fast enough to ran away from everything. Everything would melt and disappear and she would have gained her freedom at last. She had come home and looked at herself in the mirror. She was bruising. She covered the marks with the help of long red dress and a cardigan pulled tightly over it. She hadn't seem him in the house and the door to his room was still shut tightly. She walked past it and ignored the urge to run into the room to see if he was still alive.

Instead she found out that the way to control her urge was to go down to the kitchen and do something productive. She turned the radio on as she continued with her daily routine. She made the breakfast as she did every morning, nothing had changed or was new about this day like there had been nothing new about the past days she had spent without him.

Kazuya woke up by a ray of light hitting him in his face, he held his hand up trying to block for it the best he could. He could feel how it gently warmed his hand up. He was lying on his stomach with his arm hanging sloppily down the beds side. He remembered his dream, it was nothing new under the sun for him. He had dreamed such dreams since he welcomed that demon into his body and mind.

He grunted and lifted his chest up from the bed. He looked at his surroundings and everything somehow seemed surreal to him. He regretted getting in the car, decisively. He didn't know what he was going to do but he wanted her. He wanted more. How was he going to persuade her? He didn't know but he took the chance. The only one he would take he had agreed with himself. He sat up in the bed the ray of light still hit him, it seemed like it was vindictive. Somehow it seemed like the sunlight was much stronger here than he ever had experienced it being in Tokyo. He didn't want to be the fool any longer. He rose from the bed and stretched in the light. Why couldn't he just forget her?

When she sat down to eat, she could hear the floor crack underneath the weight of a Kazuya Mishima. She sat in the kitchen but for some reason she chose to flee to the gardens and enjoy the sun while eating breakfast. She carried everything outside. She turned the radio on as she chewed on her toast. She only caught the last of the news telling about the tournament and how Nina Williams was missing from her match and her opponent Bruce Irvin therefore proceeded without any problems. Jun cringed when she heard his name spoken, she was reminded of the cruelties he was capable of. She turned the radio off, she had no desire for the nightmares of Tokyo to follow her to her home she had enough of them in Yakushima too, when she looked up she saw him standing in the door way.

The man himself.

Kazuya was sure of seeing relief in her eyes as their eyes shortly met, before she quickly pulled her eyes away from his. He sat down opposite of her and started his breakfast, he had to admit to himself that it seemed more like staying in some bed and breakfast than in her home.

"Why don't you visit Yakushima more frequently, it seems like a good place to relax" Kazuya asked her somehow he had started to like the forest of Yakushima. It seemed odd to him that a person like herself who fought on the behalf of nature and animals wouldn't return to what obviously would be a paradise for a person of her interests.

"I've never had the time and I never wished to return to this place" she told him taking her cup of tea in her hand and she leaned back in the chair and relaxed with it in her hands. The rays reflected on her raven hair, somehow he hadn't seen her more beautiful than when he looked at her in that moment.

"Why?" he asked her, somehow he couldn't stop himself from asking her the.

"I didn't have the most joyful upbringing, Kazuya. I know it must be hard to believe but it was filled with obligations a child shouldn't be burdened with" she told him without any remorse she took a sip from her tea, Kazuya suddenly felt the feeling he suspected to be embarrassment and he felt awkward to having asked her what he thought was an innocent question.

"I was born a weak child" she continued to tell him about her past, she didn't feel any obligation to tell him of her past yet it seemed to be of more selfish reasons, she just simply wanted him to know. Maybe he would take pity of her and leave her alone to grow old and grey and eventually rot and die.

"The doctor didn't expect me to survive the night and so he told my parents. My mother I am told burst out crying, my father shocked said nothing. Somehow I survived and not only did I make it through the night I grew stronger everyday and so the doctor changed his opinion and told my parents that I might have been born fragile but I had fought for my life. My parents deemed me to be some miracle. Most of the nights in my childhoods I was plagued with nightmares, they always ended with the death of someone I cared about. My interest in martial arts grew when I saw my father and brother train and soon I demanded that he would train me on equal terms as my brother. My nightmares only got worse with my age, but I don't think that they solely were connected to my age, neither did my father but he never told me. He kept on training me and I felt the expectations to what I would do with my life grow. They told me I was special and my dreams just weren't dreams and how I could connect to others was more special than what I thought it to be" she kept silent about the things her parents had told her, how she was different from other beings. How she had quarrelled with her parents and left Yakushima to gain her freedom and determine her own future. He saw the sudden change in her expression, she now had an expression that clearly expressed grieve or even regret for the choice she had made. Most of all he now knew that she feared her future and how much it would be influenced by her past. Couldn't she at all escape her past, was the only thing in Jun's mind.

"Your past doesn't determine your future" he told her and she for the first time in the longest time found comfort in a pair of eyes, most notably his eyes. She smiled to him and he knew it was a sincere smile.

"The past will hold me responsible for the choices I make" she told him in a low tone and sipped to her tea again. He looked at her astonished by her will to give up so easily.

"Why do you want to quit so easily?" he asked irritated by her new resigned attitude.

"It isn't about quitting some things you just can't change, and it is easier to succumb to it than fight it" she told him. She didn't have the strength to fight it anymore she would let things be what ever they were.

"So you just give up, after all you fought for?" he asked her growing more and more irritated.

"You don't understand anything," she told him her frustration growing, she couldn't have him around her anymore "It's not that easy, You can't just quit and leave everything behind I have responsibility and an obligation" she told him and held a short break "I'm sorry but I can't house you any longer you'll have to leave. I'm sure you can find some other accommodations in the village that you'll find agreeable" she told him not looking at him, she feared what she would find anger or sorrow, somehow she knew that his anger would be easier to cope with.

"I'll be done this afternoon and then I'll leave..." he told her with a very polite voice, he didn't have any other choice. It would be better if he just left her now. She obviously didn't want him, and he didn't want her, Kazuya tried to convince himself.

"I'll try to be here, but if i'm not just wait for me I have an errand to run" she told him not being honest, she could see in his eyes that he didn't believe a word she just had told him "I'm going to visit my parents grave..." she told him and he looked down at the table when he heard her utter the words. Again he felt ashamed of prying.

Jun wandered through the forest to the family grave. She had incense and flowers in her hand. When she arrived she found her parent's tomb stone, she picked some of the grass growing on the gravestone itself. She cleared the place in front of the stone. She placed the flowers and burned the incense. She sat on the side as she looked at the little smoke rise from the incense, she was mesmerised by how it moved in the air. Shaping and adjusting to the gentle changes in the air. She felt the tears press in the corner of her eyes. She fought to hold them back, she remembered her father's last words to her.

"I wished I had understood, that I haven't left, but you knew all along what I was meant to do. Tell me now, father. I am desperate to know" she spoke in a low voice knowing he would have heard her desperate prayer "I wish you were here to guide me, I don't know what to do" she exclaimed as the tears streamed down her face. She pulled her legs up to her body and rested her head on her arms. Why wasn't she able to follow her heart, what could possible happen? He was just a man and she a woman.

She sat on a field she didn't know how far she had walked, but it was far away from her parent's grave that was all she wanted. She felt gravity pull her and eventually she was lying on the field the tall grass and the flowers stood towering over her figure. She would have disappeared if it wasn't for her red dress. She felt herself become one with the ground she felt herself dissolve till she was a part of the grass and the flowers. She felt the wind run over the grass making it bow humbly to its mighty superior. The flowers danced in the wind some danced along with the wind and were carried away while others rejoiced for the while it lasted but the rejoice was greater over the much sun they could receive by staying.

She had laid flowers, burned incense and brushed old leaves away, she sat there for a while before she decided to leave. She couldn't sit there for long she had done everything they hadn't wanted for her, she had run away from her responsibility her destiny. They had only wanted the best for her and prepare her for her destiny. She was chosen to some task, a task she didn't know anything about and yet they tried to prepare her for it. She had been lying in the fields while the tears ran down her cheek, if only she had known. The very thing she tried to run away from, she had just ran into its arms and it wouldn't let go of her not now. She wanted nothing more that moment than to be held by her father, his arms had made her feel safe before she had abandoned him and her own family. She was young and wanted a life of her own and they had let her go willingly, now she feared the fact that they might have known that he was waiting for her in Tokyo. She wished that she had stayed a while longer with her parents, that he would have taught her something more. Something she could use to help him for she felt it, it had his soul it was feeding on it and the light was dimming but it was there.

The tears continued to run down her cheeks leaving tracks behind them, she didn't even dare to return to her own home, for she knew he would be sitting there waiting for her to return. He wanted to hold her in his arms she could see the desire in his eyes but she didn't know what to tell him. Her feelings told her to go to him and she wished nothing more but she wanted to help him, rid him of the hatred growing and brewing in him. She knew that he didn't want her help he had come to terms with his state of mind, he didn't want it any different. She saw the white clouds break as the darker clouds were gaining more room, the light played with the skies spreading orange purple and pink colours all over the sky and painting the clouds. The wind shook the flowers and once in a while she would catch a glimpse of the flowers flying over her body as they followed the wind blindly wherever it took them. The wind had started to get colder and harsher as the dark clouds brewed and blew in over the white clouds. Not even the light that danced over the clouds and caressed them could make their appearance any softer. The clouds became blurry once again as the tears welled up in her eyes, again she wished she could change everything, for what she had learned about Kazuya Mishima was that he was determined and no one could change his mind.

"Jun" she heard her name called out by the very man she feared the most "What are you doing here I thought you went to your parents graves?" he asked her he stood his distance from her, not approaching her until he was more or less certain of the fact that she might not refuse company. He leaned up against a tree that stood in the middle of the field breaking with its flowers and flat land.

"I did" she answered him shortly as she started to wipe the tears away from her cheek quickly.

"Then what are you doing here?" Kazuya asked her "The weather isn't getting better" he joked and moved closer to her.

"The weather was great, so I came out here to enjoy it" she told him she knew the last bit was a lie but she had come to enjoy the weather so it wasn't a whole lie "and I wanted to think more clearly" she told him more truthfully as she got up, she brushed her dress for grass. She looked up at him and smiled as she pulled her cardigan tighter around herself as the wind blew colder and harsher. Kazuya moved closer to her, Jun stood quietly following his movement. He stopped right before her and raised his hand; he took something out of her hair and showed it to her. She had had small flowers and petals from flowers in her hair. She smiled gently to him, she hated when he would be kind and show compassion and fascination in the smallest actions. He saw the rings under her eyes and the light red colour in her eyes he could see she had been crying. The wind picked up the flowers and blew them to a faraway place and her hair was still filled with dozens of small colourful flower leaves.

"Are you okay?" he asked her "the afternoon passed along time ago". She didn't answer him but broke away from him. She knew it was the only thing she could do she couldn't deny the lust, but she didn't want to. She had fought for her freedom for a different life than the one her parents had offered her and yet she fell back in.

"We better get back, looks like bad weather is heading our way and you're right it isn't even close to being afternoon" she told him as she started to move away from him, he followed behind her silently with his hands buried deep in his pockets. The dark clouds had moved in and started to weigh down on the white clouds, they pushed them aside so they became smaller and more insignificant. The wind blew harsher and more unmerciful, Jun suddenly began to talk and he followed her quietly.

"Why did you come?" she turned around and asked him suddenly. He stood for a while looking at her as if he didn't know what she meant.

"You were gone for a while longer than I thought you would be so I went looking for you" he answered her. Confusion was painted on his face he stood silently observing her expression and hoped for a chance to read what she was thinking. He saw the opposite of what he wished to see it was clear that an irritation was building up in her.

"Why did you come to Yakushima? Why can't you leave me alone?" she asked him as the skies roared above them as the dark clouds had spread through out the sky. The light was becoming increasingly scarce.

"I wanted to see you" he told her at first only telling her half the truth "I can't be without you, I need you..." he told her honestly confessing truly for the first time. Jun took a step back when she heard him utter the words, it couldn't be true. The sky roared again before it opened and the heavy warm rain started to pour on the two of them. Jun's hair clutched to her face and her red dress clutched to her body Kazuya stood silently in the rain awaiting her answer.

"Why are you so determined to break my heart and make me miserable?" she exclaimed as the tears ran down her cheek and mixed with the rain running down her face. She started to walk again, Kazuya stood in the woods alone. He couldn't understand why she had left him with those words; he thought that it was the words she had wanted to hear. Kazuya stood in the middle of the woods he was the only dark spot as it rained and thundered over the woods and all the trees and plants reached for the skies grateful for the answering of their prayers. Yet they seemed to ask for mercy they wanted to be spared for the violent thunder. Kazuya suddenly began to run towards her when he could see her figure disappearing in the woods.

"What do you want from me?" he screamed when he could see her figure fully "What do you want me to say to make you happy?" he asked her when he saw her figure stop. She stood quietly she didn't know what to answer him she didn't even know herself what it was that she wanted.

"I want my freedom" she confessed the rain had moisturised her skin but she couldn't hide the fact that she had cried and it was more than clear to Kazuya now.

"Am I robbing your freedom?" he asked her, he was confused he knew she had left Yakushima in an early age and he had gotten the feeling from her that she had lived a claustrophobic life but he dared to think that he had something to offer her.

"It's you can't you see it? It's you I'm supposed to save" she blurted out she hadn't told him before "I'm supposed to be your redeemer, your salvation..." she ran her hand through her hair, she felt like as if her head was to explode as she spoke those words. Kazuya looked at her confused she was supposed to be his salvation? He remembered what she had told him yesterday but he had brushed it off and he thought she would leave it alone but she knew.

"And what are you going to save me from?" he asked her and hoped she didn't know. He saw her move nervously and she looked at him with that look, the some expression in her eyes as when she had confronted him with the 'feeling' she got when she met him at home.

"The devil himself..." she spoke the words as her head was turned down and her hair blocked for a clear view of her face, but her eyes were open she was looking straight at him when she uttered the words. That very moment when she was in the stature Kazuya could have sworn that she was the devil. Her dress didn't look like a dress it looked like blood running down her body engulfed in fire, her hair clung to her face; he had never seen her look so much like a numinous creature. She was different even he could feel it now, he could feel her aura where he stood. Now he understood what her parents had meant, she wasn't of this world. He had never been this frightened his whole life, for the first time he felt that someone might be able to take his power from him. He had never thought that she would be that someone. On the same time he had never been filled with this lust for her, just the fact that she wanted to save him amused him. The fact that she actually could save him and therefore might be a worthy opponent was more amusing, and the art of persuading her not to do as her feelings and instincts inclined her to do was only a great challenge. He would love to make her his, she couldn't change him the sooner she realised the better it would be for her.

"You want to save me from the devil?" he said doubting her ability to do so out loud, yet he couldn't deny the deep fear he felt in the bottom of his heart "And how do you tend to do so?" he asked her, he was surprised when he saw the expression on her face. She didn't have any idea of how to do so, she doubted herself and yet she had been brave enough to utter those dangerous words and declaring her self his enemy.

"I can't…" she cried out, tears were running down her cheek once again, the desperation showed clearly in her eyes "I don't know how and I can't" she confessed to him "You can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved" she uttered and looked up at him and he knew he already had won the battle, even when the victory was his and he had fought for it he felt a certain disappointment.

"Why did you come after me? Do you enjoy torturing me?" she said stepping back, her voice was becoming thick with each word she uttered. He knew the words she uttered tore her heart apart, she was bleeding and there was no way to heal her wounds now. No words he could utter would be enough for her, they wouldn't be enough to heal her lifelong wounds. The tears had left her eyes red and now they were making their way down her cheek once again.

"Why can't you just leave me alone and let me live my life in peace?" she exclaimed as she desperately tried to fight back the tears in her eyes, she was staring at the ground waiting for his answer as she waited for his answer her thoughts wandered. She still couldn't believe anything he told her, after all his business meant more to him than anything else. He didn't take long time to think before he decided to extort information out of her his own way. She couldn't stand being in front of him any longer nor could she look at him anymore, he meant nothing to her now. She would ask him again to leave when they got back. Jun looked up from the ground when she heard the grass being trampled upon and twigs break under a pair of shoes. When she looked up she saw Kazuya walking towards her, he was nearing her as if she was a frightened deer. She kept staring at him as she stood silently, somehow she had lost the control over her body. She couldn't move no matter how much she wanted to she could only stand there paralysed by the look in his eyes. She had never seen a look like that in his eyes, he could strike her that very moment and she wouldn't be able to move to protect herself. He could beat her till he had no energy left in his body and she wouldn't be able to move to avoid one single hit. It was the look she hated the most, he could demand anything from her and she wouldn't be able to deny him anything. It was him he could ask anyone for anything and they couldn't deny him it. Finally Jun gathered the strength to move, she would fight him she would be the first to deny him what he wanted. She walked backwards as the frightened deer she was, she wasn't brave enough to turn her back on him and walk. A creature like him could attack without any remorse or regret, after all she had experienced it on her own body. Kazuya took his steps with greater and greater confidence, until he stood only a few feet away from her. Jun kept walking backwards until she hit something wet with her back. She felt on it with her hands and realised it was a tree, she had no place to run no place to hide now and he was nearing her with every step he took.

"Why do you fear me so much?" he asked her as he took more steps towards her, his voice filled with anger "Am I monster to you?" he asked her when her saw her flinch "Don't you see anything else in me but the monster you suspect me to be?" he asked her again as he saw her press her body hard against up the tree as a pathetic try to avoid coming any nearer to him "I thought you were wiser than to think so especially when you fight against the odds yourself and the path that others have laid out for you" he told her more calmly than the voice he had before which was filled with anger "Is it really impossible for me to be anything but that monster for you?" he asked her pleading her to think differently of him. He wanted her to take pity on him and take him back into the warm embrace which she didn't share with anyone.

"Can't you see?" he asked with a remorseful and saddened voice he lifted his hands and cupped her face in them, he stroked the bangs away from her eyes so he could see them more clearly "I love you Kazama Jun" he told her, he was barely able to speak the words out loud and they were nothing more but a gentle whisper to her ear. The tears welled up in Jun's eye once again as Kazuya finally had revealed the feeling he believed he carried. He now stood desperate to hear her answer, he wiped the tears and the rain away from her skin and pulled the clingy hair away from her face. His hands rested on her arms holding her close and not allowing her to pull away from him, he looked at her waiting for her answer. He didn't dare to hope, yet something in him hoped for a declaration of love.

An eternal promise to only be his and nobody else's.

"Don't lie to me..." she told him, How could he lie to her like this why would he fill her heart with such a treacherous sweetness "Don't lie to me..." she repeated her words more confidently. Even if she spoke the words with confidence the tears finally escaped from her grasp she wasn't able to hold them back anymore.

"Why do you fill my mind and my heart with such poisonous words? Why do you insist on torturing me?" she spat at him and broke his hold on her, she stepped backed the little she could away from him. Kazuya looked at her more intensely than he had before, her words had struck him like lightning. How could she believe that the words he had uttered were lies? Maybe she wasn't the one to understand him after all, maybe she wasn't his salvation. He didn't want a saviour after all Kazuya reminded himself.

Why did he crave this woman so greatly? What did she have to offer him if anything at all?

"Why?" she finally dared to utter the words "Why me...?". Kazuya's lips curled to a little smile when he heard her say something different than what she had said before, any words were enough for him. As long as they weren't as harsh as the ones she had spoken before.

"Because we are alike…" he whispered into her ear, Jun's heart skipped a beat when he told her that they were alike for it was the truth they were more alike than anyone would suspect. She rested her head on his chest dispirited she couldn't fight this man, his words lured her into his carefully set trap. She had been his prey for the longest time and they were both tired now, even he didn't have the energy to fight anymore. All he wanted now was to claim his price.

She looked up at him and he saw the corner of her lips curl up. He pulled her in to an embrace and held her close. She didn't have the strength to fight him anymore. He lifted her head and looked closely at her she looked different somehow, paler perhaps. He kissed her lips for the first time in the longest time and never had her lips tasted as sweet as they did that very moment. The rain fell heavier on the tree, running down the branches and running over the green leafs they finally hit the two of them as they were seeking refuge under its majestic branches. They exchanged passionate kisses as one kiss became two and two kisses three, Kazuya pressed her up against the tree and Jun was surprised over his sudden loss of control.

"Kazuya..." she whispered to him when she was able to part from his lips "we should get out from the rain" she spoke to him silently and followed it by a kiss on his cheek.

Jun stepped into her home followed by Kazuya, the wind blew harshly outside and it's hollowed screams were heard inside. The warmth of the house greeted them as they had stepped in from the cold afternoon.

"I'll get you a towel" Jun told him as she walked up the stairs Kazuya followed her through the house as she entered the bathroom to the left of the stairs. She squeezed the water out from her hair over the sink and then she found a towel for Kazuya. She was about to call for him to locate his position but found no need for it, as she had turned around to call for him he stood behind her with his hand stretched out for the towel. He dried his face and unbuttoned his shirt before he pulled it off, he threw it into the washing basket when he looked up he saw her as she stood in front of him drying her face and hair. The red dress was clinging onto to her as if its life was dependent on her, it revealed every curve of her body and her pale skin shone through the red dress.

"What?" Jun asked him when she saw him staring at her and she noticed for the first time that he was standing there without his shirt on and again she saw the rumoured scar on his chest, and she didn't notice his lust filled eyes.

"You should put on some clothes before you freeze to death" she said lightly until she finally saw his eyes they were filled with lust and desire. He walked to her and took the towel out of her hands, he threw it in the corner as he kissed her. Jun was surprised by his sudden burst of lust his lips pressed harder to hers than they ever had before, his kisses weren't as gentle as they once had been these kisses demanded more. He lifted her up and placed her on the edge of the tabletop of the bathroom. She wrapped her legs around his waist holding him close to her. He caressed her legs gently pulling her wet red dress up as his hands travelled up her thighs, Jun shivered from his touch and her legs stiffened even more from his touches holding him even tighter and closer to herself. A muffled groan escaped Kazuya's mouth as he hit the tabletop and came closer to her being.

Kazuya brushed the hair away from her neck, she could feel his breath on her neck it was warm and calm. It sent shivers down her spine. He started to place kisses on her skin slowly and then he traced them to the peek of her shoulders. His hands crawled away from her thighs and to her loin he pressed her harder and closer to him, a gentle moan escaped from Jun, he would not be rejected this time and nothing would stop him this time. He continued to kiss her as her skin was to great a pleasure to be denied. She broke from his hold and looked at him for a while before she placed her lips on his, she ran her hands through his wet hair. He responded happily for he knew she would not deny him, not tonight.

His breaths quickened, as she sent jolts down his spine whenever she kissed him and made contact with him. Her arms were gently placed on his shoulders, holding him close to her. He traced his hands up her back until they reached the few buttons of her dress. He kissed her again wanting to know if he should, she kissed him passionately in return and he unbuttoned them one at a time. Jun continued to kiss him and stroke his body gently with her hands. When she felt the unbuttoning of the last she looked at him, he had suddenly stopped but gently he pushed the dress down from her shoulders till it was nothing but a bundle of red fabric around her waist. The only fabric covering her was the black bra she was wearing underneath. He ran his hand over her chest and felt the coldness of the skin, he felt her shiver under his touch.

"And what about you?" he asked her replying her earlier statement, he picked a dry towel up from behind her and wrapped it around her. She shivered when she felt his light touches on her body, she grabbed the ends of the towel and pulled it tighter together. She looked at him and he seemed to have disappeared into his own world. She kissed his cheek lightly before she kissed the corner of his lips. She pulled him into the warmth of the towel as she placed her arms around him pulling him closer as she continued to kiss him. She turned her face away from his face as he again started to trace kisses down her neck, she condoned to his actions, she leaned her head backwards and stretched her neck as he continued to shower kisses on her pale and cold skin. She returned to his lips, his thin and demanding lips. He drew her nearer and she closed her legs tighter around his waist and he lifted her. He stared into her eyes as her hair fell down and caressed his face. He carried her to her room, and laid her down on the bed. She pulled him onto herself and rewarded him with passionate kisses. There was no greater gift for him than her gentle and passionate kisses. He had only tasted her lips a few times and they weren't enough compared with the cravings of his heart. He wanted so much more and she was the only one who would let him have it willingly, without him having to prove his worth. For she was a creature who believed in him and demanded no proof for the reliability of the human qualities he possessed. They both knew he didn't possess any, it was the truth no matter how bitter it might be, they both knew.

He broke from her passionate kisses as he peeled the rest of her wet dress off of her and felt her shiver underneath him. He returned to her passionate kisses when he felt her hands unbuttoning and pulling his wet jeans down.

He had come to love her, was it not love? This odd and burning sensation he felt inside of him whenever he thought of her and which only grew stronger when he saw her and even stronger when he touched her. He believed he would burst into flames if he didn't get more from her if he didn't get into her heart and soul. He wanted them badly and why? He didn't believe in love being the reason, he wanted to see what she was made of. He wanted to own her make her his, no he didn't believe it was love it was a strong urge and instinct, an instinct that had been awoken in him when he for the first time had set his eyes on her, the first time she had spoken defiantly to him.

He wanted her.

He wanted to see her spirit, he wanted to sully it. He wanted to make it just as corrupt as him. Her beautiful gullible eyes, they believed every word he said or so he believed that they did. She was true and honest, a woman with morals, a rare creature.

He pulled away and looked at her, she was surprised by him pulling away. She looked at him and smiled as she pulled his jeans down and he freed himself of them. He trailed kisses form her waist up to her neck.

He so badly wanted to cut her wings in return, make her his. She noticed the change in his eyes, and her expression revealed the new knowledge she possessed. Kazuya leaned over her with a smile on his lips.

"Kazuya…" was all she said when he looked her straight into her eyes, he could feel the doubt and tension rise in her body as she became stiffened. He placed his lips on hers, she didn't respond to his kisses.

"Get off…" was all she could say as he continued to kiss her passionately while her lips remained cold and she indifferent. He continued again to trail kisses down her neck yet this time he stopped at her neck and kissed her the same spot a few times apologetically.

How could he claim that he didn't love her? It was true he would love to ravage her and yet something wouldn't allow him to do so, he loved her. He loved her for the sweet and tantalising nature. Kazuya lifted his head from her neck and looked at her, he kissed her reassuringly and she knew she had found him. She placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him, she had not known before but now it was very clear to her, she loved him.

Suddenly she found herself in the position of not being able to reject him, she wanted every part of him she wanted what others had said she couldn't have and it was hers this very moment.

Jun turned in the bed in the morning and felt a hand run through her hair and down her back. It took a hold of her and pulled her closer in. The morning light penetrated through the curtains and illuminated the two figures lying naked under the sheets, the cool wind had already started to sweep across the fields and disturbed the warm peace with its cool greetings. Jun moved closer to him and filled all her senses with him, she hid from the light by hiding behind him. A smile crept across his lips when he felt her soft lips pressed against his bare skin, he felt her move closer to him, he ran his hands up and down her back warming it gently. He opened his eyes slowly and saw the room bathed in warm yellow light, it illuminated the dust that danced in the air, the air that stood still in the room. He looked down and saw her lying close to him with closed eyes; he had never seen her at such ease before. She looked peaceful while sleeping. He kissed her forehead. He had never felt such peace before in his life and he knew he had taken more from her than he had offered her in return, and he wondered if the creature lying in his arms knew that he would give his life for her.

Even his life in return for what she had given him wouldn't be enough.

Her eyes flickered open slowly and she looked at him with the same gentle expression, and he discovered that she truly did love him or something like it. He prayed that it would last to the day after tomorrow and the many days to come after, it was selfish of him but he prayed, and he usually never was the one inclined to prayers, that she would never stop loving him and the look from her eyes never disappeared. She closed her eyes once again as she yawned loudly and turned in his embrace she turned her back to the light so she could be in peace for once in her life. She kissed his arm lightly and ran her hand over his arm as she felt her eyelids get heavier. Suddenly she felt something warm being pressed to her shoulder and it moved to her neck and she moaned with a mixture of complaint and pleasure. He smiled at her bewildering reaction, he continued to reign kisses over her skin as a mean that would lead to a reaction.

"Don't be silly Kazuya" she told him and tried to wave his next advance off instead her hand met his cheek and a loud sound erupted from the meeting. Kazuya had frozen, her hand had landed too violently and she had slapped him lightly. Kazuya pulled his arm to himself and drew back to his side of the small bed. The farthest he could get from her left their backs touching lightly. Jun was suddenly wide awake realising what she had done.

"Oh god, I'm sorry" she spoke to him turning around immediately she grabbed his arm and turned him the very little she was able to force him to, she looked at him carefully he didn't make a mine "Kazuya…" she spoke to him again in a low voice. He stared straight up at the ceiling he didn't even blink once as she spoke to him.

"Fine have it your way…" she spoke and lay back to the position she was in before she pulled her pillow farther away from Kazuya's so she no longer was in contact with his body. The minutes passed between them and none of them moved the slightest.

"But you're all red" she spoke to him with a smile on her lips. She couldn't understand how he could have been so insulted by an action she hadn't meant to do and then it struck her he was after all the Kazuya Mishima, he had never been struck before and it being a woman, a woman he just had slept with. It must have wounded him or rather his pride and ego.

"Do you think you'll survive it?" she asked him trying to provoke him into talking to her, she turned to her other side looking straight at him, he still refused to talk to her and kept on staring straight at the ceiling he blinked once or twice and she amused herself with the thought that it was some kind of reaction after all.

"You slapped me," he finally spoke out loud "You know other women would be glad to be showered with such attention" he spoke as he still stared at the ceiling.

"I didn't mean to slap you," she said as she rose to rest on her elbows covering herself with the blankets lying around them she came to realise that this moment with her was the most vulnerable they had had. It wouldn't take much to ruin it, "I'm sorry I really am" she spoke silently and kissed him on the very cheek she had slapped accidentally. Kazuya exchanged it for a real kiss from her, he smiled when they parted and she observed him closely. He looked different from what he had in Tokyo, she had never seen him like this.

She smiled to him and he returned the smile as he continued to caress her back. He was staring out of the window. Jun moved away from him and sat on the edge of the bed her naked back turned to him. She reached out for her robe and as she slipped it over her naked body a phoenix rose form ashes on her back. She breathed heavily in as she suddenly felt Kazuya's warm hand on the top of her shoulders, he traced his hand down her back and he slipped the robe down her back as well. She pulled it up once again and closed it around her naked body and rested her back against the headboard of the bed. Kazuya pulled her longer down into the sheets and the only protest Jun could muster was a simple and surprised gasp. Jun saw Kazuya surface in between the sheets who brought his lips to hers and stole a kiss from her. Kazuya rested his head on her chest and the light dimly managed to shine through the sheets, creating their own safe hideout. Jun let her head rest on the mattress as she saw the dust dance in the air illuminated by the scarce sunlight. Kazuya could hear her heartbeat, calm and steady. She ran her hand through his hair lovingly and soon he had fallen asleep. Jun placed his head on the mattress as she fought the urge to stay in bed with him. She made her way to the bathroom where she let the water run and fill the bathtub.

Kazuya woke some time later and searched for Jun in the bed with his hands as his eyes remained closed. He removed the sheets that covered his whole body and the bed, he heard them fall to the floor and still there was no Jun to be found on the bed. He sat up in the bed and rubbed his eyes trying to rub the weariness away. He got up from the bed and pulled his boxers on he stood in the strong light and realised it was nine in the morning. Waking up late wasn't a part of his daily routine.

He walked to his room, he picked up the bag and placed it on the bed. He opened a pocket in the side of the bag he took a golden chain out of it, in it hung a locket. He held it up in the sun looking at it as if he had been hexed. He opened it and looked at the picture of his mother. A deep sigh escaped him. He clutched the locket in his fist and placed it back in the bag.

He entered the bathroom and saw her sitting in the bathtub it was filled with water to its edge. She was lying in it with a towel underneath her neck, she was resting. He then for the first time noticed the bruises on her body. He walked up to the bathtub and stirred the water with his hand. She looked at him with a smile, she would always greet him with a smile on her lips.

He walked over to the sink and brushed his teeth, Jun's eyes wandered over his body. She couldn't prevent them from doing so, his body was perfectly sculpted in every thinkable manner. He was like Michael Angelo's David, the perfect ideal of a man, men could only ever hope to attain such features. She wondered how many hours he had offered his whole life for training. Kazuya caught her staring gaze and he couldn't help but to smile at her childish behaviour.

She moved placing herself in one end of the bathtub with her legs pulled close into her chest, water splashed all over the floor and Kazuya quickly moved away from the bathtub as he didn't know her intentions it was an old habit, hard to break. When the water had settled and he saw the space available and her smile he realised what she had invited him to. He let his boxers fall on the partially wet floor, he saw them suck some of the water up. It was as if they had changed function from pants to sponge. When he finally got in he saw his boxers drown in the amount of water that was equivalent to his weight. He didn't know how long she had been in the bathtub but it couldn't be long for her skin was just as smooth as usual. He sat silently observing her as she dove her hand under the water and filled it with water and lifted it out watching it drip back into the tub. At times she would let it run along her arms. Again his eyes drifted back to the bruises on her body some were blue and others darker tone. He couldn't understand why he first noticed it now, he had seen her naked and yet it was first now he saw them. He couldn't blame himself, he concluded. Yesterday was different she wasn't naked so he could inspect her body for any kind of scratches and wounds and how could he have in the somewhat dark room? It was guilt that builded up in him, for how could his lust exceed his… His what? His worries for her? He wasn't aware himself that he was so infatuated with her that he worried for her. She caught his eyes looking at her bruises, his sight returned to the water surface. He tried very hard to find something interesting about the water surface but felt himself fail. He moved closer to her and touched the bruises she had gotten from their friendly match, or what they told themselves was supposed to be a friendly match. She laid her hand on his and he knew that he was forgiven. For there was nothing to forgive he asked her and she had agreed and she now paid the price for her own recklessness. Or so had they both agreed upon.

"People normally don't beat up the ones they love..." she told him and he was taken back by her unusual harsh words until he saw the smile on hers lips. She was mocking him, mocking him for lacking the ability to express his love in a less violent manner or more constructive manner. He couldn't understand how she could have the capacity to joke about something violent, which others would have banned such a person from their life.

Here she sat most intimately with him in a bathtub and welcomed him into her life, again.

"Forgive me" he asked her placing a hand behind her neck bringing her closer so only she could hear his words. She kissed his cheek as reply and instantly she felt his hand relax. She leaned in to him and he found himself suddenly mesmerised by her, he lowered his head to hers thinking she would kiss him. The light hit her differently it bathed her differently. Her gaze was fixed on his lips and he was ready to feel the same electricity he felt with each touch. She turned in the water and she rested her back against his chest. Disappointed he leaned back and let her rest, he ran his hand through her hair and felt himself ease.

"You apologise a lot more than one would think" she stated out of a sudden breaking the silence. Kazuya was surprised to hear what she said but he guessed she was right and soon a smile spread across his lips and it erupted into laughter. Jun tilted her head and looked at the supposedly Kazuya Mishima who now was laughing. She was right he had apologised to her unusually much. He had apologised more to her than he had to all the people he had known through all his lifetime. He kissed her lips and smiled. She was a rare creature, she had the guts to tell him what others feared to tell him just because he was who he was.

He looked into her eyes and saw a different world, a different future which he could be a part of. If only he was a different person.

"Don't you want a place to belong? A home?" she asked him as she lay in his embrace and entwined her fingers with his. She felt Kazuya move as if he suddenly felt uncomfortable with the question she had asked him.

"Are you offering me one?" he asked her "I'm starting to think that I might have found it" he whispered into her hair "I think we belong together" he whispered into her ear before he kissed her. Jun had suddenly stopped entwining her fingers with his and she lay very silently. She was digesting the words he had spoken to her could it be true? Were his words honest? Would he be willing to return to her after a long day of work? Would he want to share the same bed with her?

They both had been running for what seemed to be an eternity. Both tired and alone.

"A home..." she spoke gently into the air, it sounded comforting "Our home..." she spoke daring to utter the words out loudly. She knew that there was something different about him. The only questions she needed to answer were; was she willing to share a bed with him? Would she return to him when she wanted to go home? Would he be the first one she would think of when she thought of her home? Would he be the first person she longed for when ever she longed for someone? As it was described in great romances and as she had heard it from a few people, but she knew life wasn't like that. She could only hope for that he felt the same and wanted her.

They both wondered about the options, none of them dared to ask the other, for wasn't it too soon to be having such thoughts? To aspire after such dreams.

"When are you leaving for Tokyo" she asked him breaking the silence.

They were again sitting outside having breakfast, which by the time of the day would be classified as lunch. Kazuya looked at her awkwardly he hadn't expected from her to raise the question so early.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked her, she looked up at him thinking he might be insulted. His facial expression didn't change all the while she looked at him.

"I didn't mean..." she started to say but when she saw the corner of his lips turn upwards, she had understood his tease "ooh..." she spoke silently "I don't mean to be rude but you'll have to leave at some point assuming that your business doesn't run itself" she spoke taking a sip of her tea "It would surely fall apart with out its great leader" she spoke and rose from her chair. Kazuya revealed an expression of confusion. She sat down in his lap.

"Don't try to play my game, Kazuya. You'll only get hurt" she told him and kissed him consolingly.

"I'm leaving tonight" he told her speaking the truth "Why don't you come with me?" he asked her "Haven't you had enough vacation?" he asked her again. He wanted her to come back to Tokyo not for her work but for himself. He couldn't see her if she stayed in Yakushima and more importantly he couldn't have her again if she stayed.

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked him not understanding why he was so eager to bring her along to Tokyo "For you know I actually like it here, it's a paradise for people with my interest..." Jun spoke looking him directly in his eyes when she spoke the last, Kazuya was shocked by her choice of word. The words were like taken out of his mind, he looked at her and she only smiled. He feared that he didn't not know her true potential and powers, but he knew what she wanted to hear from him.

"I'd like you to come to Tokyo with me" he told her, he saw a smile spread on her lips. She kissed him agreeing with him that she would like to return to Tokyo with him, not confessing that she wasn't tired of her vacation.

"When do we leave?" she asked him. His expression suddenly grew more thoughtful.

"Tonight.?" he asked her in return. Not knowing how much time she would need before she was ready to leave.

"It's fine" she told him getting up, he took a hold of her hand pulling her back down into his lap. He caressed her cheek and ran his hand down to her chin. He examined her eyes.

She took his hand into hers and kissed him reassuringly then she left taking all of these form the table to the kitchen. Kazuya sat behind looking at her walk away, he didn't know how he had ended up here, but he was happy he guessed he was happy for what else could it be? He feared what would happen to her, could she truly love him no matter kind of a creature he was? He let his head fall backwards and he took in the sun. Everything seemed to have changed in the last couple of days, he knew much more of her and he had achieved his goal he would be returning with her. He walked into the kitchen his cup and saw standing there washing washing and cleaning. He placed the cup in the sink and kissed her neck. Her hair restrained in a bun exposing her neck. He kissed her once again when she didn't reply.

A knock was heard from the front door.

She broke from his hold and answered the door, she returned again only minutes after.

"Who was it?" he asked her when she returned with a bag in her hand.

"The local delivery boy, he persuaded me to have my things brought when I was at the market. He apparently makes his allowance money on delivering groceries to people" she told him "Why do you want to follow after him and punch him?" she joked with a grin on her lips.

"Very funny" he told her as he took the bag from her.

"Come on" Jun said to him as she took his hand "get your shoes on," she commanded him as she stepped outside holding the door open for him.

"Where are we going?" he managed to ask irritated, he was sitting and reading the news paper minding his own business. He thought she was packing her bags but she had apparently been struck by a sudden need

"One last thing to do before we leave" she told him and she once again led him through the forest. He followed her blindly not knowing what it was she wanted him to see so desperately before they left.

She suddenly stopped in front of a great lake, the water surface was covered somewhat in lotus flowers. She walked towards testing the water, there was no need to test it since the water was always warm.

"Why are we here?" he asked her indifferently. Jun looked at him surprised, he wasn't bad at interacting with people, at least not when he wanted something.

"I don't know? What do you think?" she asked him as she pulled her tank top over her head. Kazuya stood mesmerised by her actions as she revealed her pale back to him, soon he discovered that she came prepared "I came here after I had trained when you were spying on me, apparently you lost sight of me and didn't follow me" she spoke to him letting him in on her secret.

"Few people know of the lake and even less bother to walk all the way" she told him trying to sound reassuring, but why would he mind revealing his body to a few people when people gathered form all around the world and saw him half naked?

She was wearing a bra beneath apparently she didn't mind getting wet. She walked towards the shore and walked into the water she looked after him he didn't follow her, he just stood there with his hands buried deep in his pockets. Suddenly it made sense to her, he hadn't even seemed to like the water filled tub.

"Don't you know how to swim?" she asked him more worried now than earlier, it had probably been a mistake to drag him out here, he wasn't the most nature loving person she had ever met. Kazuya just stared at the calm water surface which she had disturbed, his expression didn't change once, he only looked even more dispassionate if it was possible. He sat down on the ground as he watched her walk into the water and dive. She didn't surface until she was in the middle of the lake, a substantial amount of time it seemed to him. She surfaced in the middle of the lake pushing the lotuses aside on the water surface. She pulled the hair strands away from her face. She looked at the sky above, it seemed somehow more blue than it ever had. She looked to the shore and saw him sitting there calmly, not interested in the lake. Could he really not swim?

She dove again swimming under the surface, she surfaced again breaking the clouds reflecting on the water. She looked towards him except this time he wasn't there. She brushed the hair strands away from her face and dried her face for water. He was still no where to be seen, her clothes were still lying on the ground. There was a pile of something else next to her clothes but she couldn't make out what it was. She felt something grab her ankle and pull her into the water. She opened her eyes underneath the surface and saw Kazuya's lips form a grin. Jun surfaced and inhaled deeply, Kazuya surfaced right next to her. Jun looked at him in surprise.

"If I had known you were such a good swimmer I wouldn't have brought you" she exclaimed pulling hair away from her eyes. She looked at him and the shore he had to be a fast swimmer, he had to undress and swim to the middle of the lake while she was underwater.

"I never said I couldn't swim that was an assumption you made" he told her and kissed. She should have known that a man of his calibre knew how to swim. "Do you regret bringing me up here?" he asked, she considered her question for a while before answering.

"No..." she answered diving and swimming away from him. She surfaced by the edge of the shore and crawled in towards land. She breathed heavily for air somehow she had been drained for energy while swimming away from him. She felt his hand grab her feet and pull her towards the water, why did she challenge him? Why did he have to be better than her? She believed that she was a good swimmer but apparently next to him she wasn't good at many things. He pulled her though the little mud there was, until she was completely towered by him. She turned in the soil, looking at him little mud clung to her. He ran his hand over her chest, he had gathered the mud in his hand and threw it in the water behind him. She looked at him her chest rising and falling heavily.

"What do I win?" he asked her, his hands placed on both sides of her head making escape impossible. She looked at him puzzled by what he had asked her, he noticed how her cheek still had a little red in them. She saw how his chest was rising and falling he was more out of breath than her.

"You haven't won anything," she told him placing her hand on his chest "besides what do I have to offer you that you haven't had already?" she asked with an innocent look. He smiled to her she knew what he wanted from her.

"You said people don't frequently walk up here?" he asked her kissing her, of course she had known what he wanted but if she would accommodate was another story. Jun played with his hair that had fallen down and was no longer in its usual style, she chuckled as she played with his hair. Insulted by her chuckle he demanded a kiss from her and she happily accommodated. She felt his hands crawl down her body until they reached her knickers, a finger on the inside started to drag them slowly down. He pushed her head upwards with his muddy finger and kissed her neck.

Suddenly the voices of children rang through the air and Kazuya shot his head up, not understanding why he had been struck with all the bad luck in the world? Jun was quickly by her clothes pulling them on. They dressed and left the lake, Kazuya more disappointed than her Jun could only laugh, it had to be the second time in one day. Kazuya on their way to her home told her convincingly that things would have turned out differently if they had stayed at home.

Jun opened her eyes, she had apparently fallen asleep on the trip to Tokyo, tired from the days activities. She looked at the many billboards that now had replaced the stars she had seen in the sky in Yakushima. If this was as good as it got she had to accept it. Kazuya looked at her she almost looked like she was grieving over the loss of Yakushima. They had left Yakushima later than he had counted on and the darkness had fallen and light was provided by the bright billboards dominating the streets of Tokyo. He breathed heavily in he was at last home, Yakushima was a beauty but it held nothing for him. Tokyo was a city in hasty evolution for him, evolving and breathing mechanism on which he had influence. He could evolve it to the direction he wanted to.

He drove up to her apartment block and stepped out to get her bags he was surprised to find out that she had only packed few bags. She would have returned earlier to Tokyo than what he had counted on. Stepping out of the car Jun inhaled the air of Tokyo and missed the fresh air of Yakushima and the colours, Tokyo seemed like nothing but a grey city to her more than ever before. Kazuya placed her bags on the pavement in front of her and she picked one of the bags up as he leaned up against his car. Jun leaned into him and kissed him before taking another bag in her hand.

"I'll see you tomorrow then..." she said with a smile about to leave him alone on the street. He looked at her, this was really goodbye, he had only spent a day with her on more than friendly terms, he needed more.

"Are you going to let me drive through half the city to get home?" he asked her and yawned intentionally "I'm really tired and I just might fall asleep behind the wheel" he told her she turned around and walked back to him. Leaning in to him so he supported her she took a hold of the top of his shirt and pulled him in.

"Are you inviting yourself? For I thought you didn't need an invitation?" she asked letting him know that he was welcome in her home. She kissed him once again and he smiled to her well knowing that he was welcome in her home.

He picked her bags up and followed her through the complex, he stood impatiently as she fumbled with her keys getting the right one out and opening the door.

He placed the bags by the door when they got in as she turned on the lights and opened a window to let some fresh wind in to the apartment. She walked into her bedroom and took her blouse off. She could hear his footsteps approaching. He had carried her bags inside and placed them on the floor she appointed for them. He walked to the other side of the bed, he looked out of the windows as he unbuttoned his shirt. She had a clear view to the streets, but who would look at the asphalt streets when they were used to seeing a forest outside from every window. He turned around to see Jun already laying on the bed she was just staring at the ceiling. Jun moved around in the bed trying to find a comfortable position, she had thrown her pants and blouse into the wicker basket in the corner. Her legs were hanging down the side of the bed and she lay across the bed. Kazuya sat down down the bed and tiredly pulled his socks off. He threw his jeans on the chair as he laid down on the bed opposite Jun. She turned her head looking at him, she kissed him when she came to think about the lake. She crawled onto the bed and sat on top of him kissing him as he eagerly pulled her top off. She leaned down on him again and kissed him down his neck. She stopped at his scar, he hadn't told her how he got it. She placed her hand on his scar and looked at him with sympathy. Seeing the look in her eyes he couldn't understand how she could feel compassionate about something she knew nothing about. He took a hold of her hands and held them to her sides, he didn't need her sympathy. He pulled her onto himself and kissed her sweet neck as he unbuttoned her bra throwing it in the corner, he placed her on the bed and kissed her lips.

The last thing he needed from her was sympathy.

Jun stretched her neck as he kissed her down her neck, her breaths got more shallow. She got a hold of his boxers and pulled them down. She pulled him onto herself kissing his lips preventing him from tracing kisses down her body any further. His hand was placed on the back of her head crushing her lips against his. He demanded more from her every time, he reigned over her.

* * *

**Here you once again find the explanation of the symbols used in the dream sequence, the interpretation of the symbols are from J.C. Cooper's _Traditional symbol  
JSV = Japanese Symbolic Value:_**

Dessert - Desolation and abandonment but also a place of contemplation, quiet and divine revelation

Moon - JSV = masculinity

Mist - Condition of error and confusion. Must pass through the darkness to light of

illumination

Fan - JSV = Authority and power

Sparrow - JSV = Loyalty

Mirror - JSV= "Kagami" mirror of accusations, reflects the truth and reveals the faults.

Magnolia - Chinese symbolic value = feminine charm and beauty

Marriage - The mystic union of heaven and earth / sun and moon, attaining perfection by the union of opposites in both life and death, also spiritual union

Fox - JSV= white fox means calamity, three foxes means disaster

Finger in mouth - indicates a warning or silence or thought here warning

Dragon fly - JSV = unreliability

Left - dark, sinister and evil

Right - Christianity = honour

Dawn - Illumination

Cuckoo - JSV= Unrequited love

Crow - JSV= Ill-omen , misfortune

Crossroads - Choice but also where the union of opposites

Hood - Invisibility

Peony - JSV = Marriage, fertility, glory, riches

Pheasant - JSV= Maternal love and protection


	18. Chapter 18 Break

Hello  
I'm finally ready with another entry to this story, I apologize for not having updated for such a long time but I promise I will conclude this story over the next couple of weeks. It will be updated weekly every Thursday with a single chapter. I know, as I've read it before in the comments, that it's hard to getting back into the rhythm of a particular story if it is suddenly on hiatus. It is just as difficult to find the right feeling or atmosphere of when I was originally writing it, but no worries I'm back on track and things are going smoothly.

I hope you enjoy reading & would be glad to hear your opinion so I can improve my writing and your reading experience.  
ascho

* * *

**Chapter 18 - Break**

Kazuya woke in the morning and the first sight that met him was her sleeping next to him. He couldn't understand how she could find tranquility with him, he who was harbouring a demon. Jun, she was everything but evil. Was it any other woman he would have left early in the morning. In such early hours of the morning which only fools would feel safe enough to move around in. Fools who thought they had escaped, fools who sought comfort in the arms of their beloved after a disillusioned wandering at night in a city that only had fleeting colours and brief passions. He hadn't slept so peacefully in a long while, how could she have such an affect on him? Her head was resting on his arm, he moved his arm underneath her head and she sleepily kissed his arm apologising for any discomfort. He kissed her forehead in response and saw her lips form into a smile. She turned her naked back to him and removed her head from his arm. He lay in the weak light as it had made its way through the curtains.

He needed her, he discovered in the early morning hours as he lay next to her. It was the purest feeling he had felt in a long time. It wasn't a feeling he was proud of, but in this moment it was the only thing remotely human about him. He could feel how he had changed. Changed since he met her, he hadn't felt so free in a long while.

He looked at her once again, her chest rose and fell calmly as his eyes rested on her figure. He needed her tranquility, he needed her compassion.

He left her without thinking twice about it with the thought in mind to never contact her again. She had no purpose in his life, no place. He drove through the city in the morning only rarely did he see any persons on the streets at such early hours.

He had gained what he had desired from her, there was only one thing he didn't know. Was his lust for her satisfied? He questioned himself as he drove. Was he satisfied? Knowing what surely would pass her, the pain of everything being a lie. So he would like to think to himself, it was only a broken heart. He shouldn't have said such words to her. They were lies. He repeated in his mind, countless times. How much was enough? Could he have enough of such a rare creature?

He kept repeating the words.

Jun woke in the morning as the light flooded in through the windows. She rose her head from the pillow as she turned and looked for the man that shared her bed. It was empty, her head fell back on the pillow. For some reason she wasn't surprised to find the bed empty, he of course would be out changing and forming the world as he saw fit.

She lay tired in her bed. She was already missing the sounds of Yakushima. Most of all she missed the silence, she remembered when she first had come to Tokyo she hadn't missed anything. Everything was new and interesting. The city pulsated in an entirely different manner, nothing was the same any longer. She wasn't drawn to the city as she had been at first, she was mesmerised when she first had laid her eyes on it. It was so big so great, even when darkness had fallen upon the city the lights and signs made the city was reborn. It was never dark, not like Yakushima when the darkness had covered the small town with its engulfing cape.

Her thoughts were every where, her thoughts raced from Yakushima to her fathers journal, she turned in the bed and inhaled Kazuya's scent. It wasn't unexpected that her thoughts would stop there at the thoughts of him. His presence hung heavily in the room.

Jun got out of the bed, opening the window to let in what after city standards was fresh air. She turned the T.V on and let it make its usual complaints in the background as she had grown accustomed to.

She had grown tired of not being able to feel herself.

She walked to the hall just to see if it had been locked, it was a bad habit even when she knew that it locked automatically. She walked tiredly to the kitchen opening the fridge, she saw a cartoon of milk, opening it the sour smell reached her nose.

She sat down on the couch knowing she had to eat breakfast in a cafe, which already seemed tiring to her. She came to wonder why her thoughts had been so grim. Shouldn't she be glad? Kazuya Mishima had declared his love to her. Shouldn't she be one of those women from the books or movies? They all seemed happy like the declaration of love had completed their world. Had made them complete. Had set them free.

Instead her thoughts were on Yakushima.

She had expected herself to behave differently, she expected some kind of happiness. There was hope. He could be better, if he wanted to. Still she feared that nothing had changed. She hoped that they still would meet secretly in her apartment. She had forgiven him didn't he like others deserve a second chance? Why should she give it to him unless she herself didn't love him. She had to confess to herself, she had loved the look in his eyes. The way his face was so grave and his eyes so desperate. She had become glad by seeing the power she exerted over him, seeing desperation in his eyes for the first time.

All because of her.

It seemed like he would implode if he wasn't allowed to say those words to her. More convincingly his heart would break if she didn't answer him, his heart would have broken to even more pieces if she had deceived him. It was one thing she was certain of, she hadn't deceived him.

She wasn't that corrupt.

Her attention was drawn to the television as it informed her with an authoritative voice.

"The accusations against Kazuya Mishima and The Mishima Zaibatsu have fallen due to the lack of evidence" the woman told.

There was apparently a lack of substantial evidence and the fact that the facility was used to such purposes, it was nothing but a newly founded facility that hadn't even been taken into use. The reliability of the photographs and papers and so ended the news segment of the case. All the time the segment had received, seemed to be too little for her. Jun continued to stare at the T.V as they continued to other news segments and she felt inclined to turn the T.V off. She should have known that it would happen, maybe not exactly that course of action but something like it would happen. All she had worked for, she didn't want to ruin him. All she wanted was fair chances. A fair commitment. Maybe he had been honest? Maybe everything had been done in order for the new contract they all had signed and he had given her all the credit for. Maybe he was a reformed man, who would run after a woman who only was and could be the polar opposite of him in any situation?

Her thoughts ended with her considering the odds of her thoughts being naive?

She was hoping for miracles.

Jun walked up and down the same aisle desperately searching for a canned product. Why was it that when she wanted to buy it she had to search half the city for it? Finally when she decided to give up she passed a stranger, holding exactly what she needed.

"Excuse me" Jun murmured as she reached for it and saw him take a step back and then stop, she could feel his eyes on her exposed neck.

"Well isn't it Kazama Jun" he spoke to her and she only barely recognised his voice. Turning around she saw a man she only had met and spoken to once, but already then she had deemed him to be a decent person and kind.

"Takeshi?" she said wondering if she had the right name she saw him nod with that warm smile of his "Are you stalking me now?" she asked him teasing him remembering his joking nature from the first time they met.

"Well by never dining with me, you turned my little crush into an obsession" he told her with a smile and a laughter escaped Jun's lips.

"You keep topping my jokes, I don't even want to try now" she told him smiling to him.

"How have you been?" he asked her as he walked behind her while she moved around the grocery store.

"I've been fine, and you" she asked him, he only nodded and smiled. She was left free to interpret what she wanted of his reply.

"Are you busy?" he asked as he saw her move towards the checkout.

"Not in particular, why?" she asked him, she remembered very well that he wasn't inclined to give up easily. Besides she had some vacation left, an empty apartment, a detached lover who oddly enough held the power over one of the most powerful companies, a job she might lose, being alone didn't seem all that attractive.

"You declined me dinner, so at least have tea or coffee with me and let me lick my wounds and heal my ego" he told her seriously as they passed through the checkout but as she placed her grocery in the bag she looked at him and saw his lips formed a grin.

"You don't stop do you?" she asked him, taking her bag.

"I will if you have tea, coffee or even lunch with me" he offered her "It's the best I can do" he told her as he moved through the checkout and advanced towards her. It was first then she truly noticed him. He was taller than her but shorter than Kazuya. First then she remembered him since morning, how he had left her early in the morning. His messy hair suited him well, it might even be a tone lighter than his, he dressed far more casually than him. She couldn't understand why she all of a sudden compared every man she laid her eyes on to Kazuya. She was apparently for jeans and t-shirt kind of guys, though she knew that when he dressed up he looked great. Kazuya on the other hand, was always much more formally dressed, although when he was dressed more casually he was nothing to complain about.

They stepped out of the grocery store and the rain was pouring heavily, Jun stood still beside him looking at the skies.

"See even the weather is bad because you didn't call" he joked and laughed soon to find out that he was the only one to laugh at his humour and she only smiled at his attempt.

"Well than I'll have to say yes won't I?" she said, she hated to admit to herself that she wanted to take him up on his offer more than gladly. Perhaps more joy than she should feel, and she quickly felt the joy turn into guilt. She saw him step out into the rain waiting for her to follow, she looked in her bag and found an umbrella. She stepped out in the rain with it in her hand, she lifted it higher up inviting him. He stepped closer to her and they walked to a cafe.

They talked about every thinkable subject before he finally could find courage to bring the attended subject up.

"Have you heard about Nina, the missing competitor in the tournament" he asked her leaning in over the table to tell her, almost whispering to her "Well she suddenly went missing from the tournament, she never showed up for her match and the default winner was a Paul Phoenix well that isn't the most interesting part" he told her pausing again as if he was trying to keep up the intensity of the conversation "She was allegedly the one who tried to assassinate Kazuya Mishima but obviously failed, and very conveniently she disappears before the match that would have qualified her to quarter finals" he told her with the utmost confidence. Jun held her cup in her hand and nodded.

They were sitting opposite each other at a little table and he had his feet placed on her chairs footrest. She found the quickly established intimacy and confidence strange. How quickly was it possible to establish such intimacy with others? For her who was too burdened it seemed too quickly and decisive, almost to the point where she felt violated. What she soon discovered was that she wasn't all that violated as she first thought to be.

"Then you must have heard of Dr. Boskonovitch too" Jun thought of the name carefully searching her memory for any resemblance.

"He's a scientist formerly employed by the Mishima zaibatsu, why?" she asked confused, not letting him know that he might still be an active part of the zaibatsu.

"You must have heard that he was reported kidnapped, or suddenly disappeared as many people are told" he told confidentially "Well rumour has it that there is a link between the Dr. and the missing competitor" he stopped as he took a gulp of the tea "The source tells further that the missing competitor is being tested on, some kind of grotesque experiment" he told her as he leaned back in his chair observing her as she took a tissue and starting penning down the information he had given her.

"What do you think about all of it?" he asked her. Jun looked thoughtful and regretted that she hadn't kept herself up to date with the knowledge he seemed to have. She wondered if she would have reacted the same way if she had known all this when he came to her, as she tapped the pen on the same spot on the tissue.

"It sounds possible but at the same time very..." she said and found herself unable to find a fitting word.

"Far-fetched" she nodded to the missing word he had provided her with "I'm sorry to hear about your case not working out" he told her placing his hand lightly on hers. He removed it quickly after finishing his sentence, she smiled at his concern for her.

"It will never cease to amaze me" she told him with a faint smile "But these sources you are talking about, how sure are you?" she looked at him and saw his expressions change.

"Very certain, they are reliable" he told her.

She didn't know until that moment that she had feared such a reply, she would rather have heard a lie and thought that Kazuya was incapable of such actions. The rain outside seemed to fall even more heavily and the skies only grew more grey and black. The city scape quickly turned into a palette of greys and blacks. The cup in her hand seemed to have gotten cold suddenly.

"You don't think him capable of such actions?" he asked her suddenly, Jun looked at him, she had been disturbed in her deepest thoughts. She gazed deeper into the cup of tea in her hand than before, as if she was searching for answers in the tea. She looked up from the green substance.

"I don't know what he is capable of, but I can imagine that people of such position consider themselves above the rest of us" she spoke of her concern for Kazuya's character in the most general terms. She emptied the cup for its contents and looked out the window as people passed by. A silence rose between them, the most comfortable silence she had experienced since she had left Yakushima.

The incense hung heavily in the cafe and the candles only added to the atmosphere that encouraged its visitors. Its visitors were of intimate relation to each other, Jun suddenly noticed. They all sat close to each other, when they spoke they whispered into each others ears. Sitting intimately with each other as they confided the greatest and darkest secrets to each other in the darkness. Jun quickly looked around in the cafe and found the couples every where, happily situated in their surroundings.

Takeshi looked at her as her eyes wandered in the cafe, her eyes caught his eyes and felt herself blushing upon the discovery. He placed the money on the table and got his jacket on and before she could protest he spoke.

"This ones on me, unless you want to bruise my ego some more" he told her with a smile on his lips. She wondered if he always was in such humorous disposition. She placed the tissue in her pocket as she looked around once again. Even Kazuya who she could claim to know on a very personal level wasn't so humorous. She liked his subtle nature, he did everything very calmly and so was his teasing, yet even when it was supposed to be very subtle it stung her. Kazuya knew exactly what to say to her and which buttons to press to get a reaction, a desirable reactions. She was impressed by how quickly he had gotten to know her, but it was no wonder she was always the one making conversations or telling him her history.

The rain continued to fall when they stepped outside.

They walked to her apartment building, her hand placed on his arm as if they were old friends, they said their goodbyes when they reached her apartment building.

"Here take my umbrella" Jun offered it to him as she had opened the door and left her bag inside with her one foot in the door.

"I'll be fine," he said stepping back into the rain with his face turned up to greet the rain. His beautiful brown eyes seemed to shine in the rain, she watched him standing in the rain and boasting with his small shadow. She chuckled from the sight, she remembered what Kazuya had looked like in the rain. His already breathtaking and captivating presence had seemed twice as mesmerising as he stood before her confessing his love to her. His figure was outlined in the rain, he was darker than the world around him and yet he seemed to illuminate the woods around him. She had never seen a man like him before. She had never felt such a strong attraction to him as she did that moment. She was more than happy when she came to think of what had passed, she had never imagined it possible. She had only hoped that it would.

She already missed the intoxicating presence that was him. She looked in the direction of the zaibatsu, it was the tallest building it had already declared its role in the city as a dominant figure over the city. She considered the possibility of walking there and meet him, but the rain and her saddened spirit convinced her to stay in and clear her thoughts.

"Take it " she said almost stepping outside and closing the door behind her "You can use it and then use it as an excuse to see me, when you return it" she said with a smile on her lips, knowing that if she didn't say it he would.

"I like how you're thinking," he told her and took the umbrella from her hand and walked back the way they had come.

"Has the facility been moved?" he asked, he heard a confirmation from the voice "What about the subjects? Have they suffered any damage" he listened carefully to the doctors concerns. "The early stages don't matter, what about the cryonic?" wrinkles quickly appeared on Kazuya's forehead as he paced back and forth in his office. "Doctor you aren't kept alive for the sake of your incompetence, there are hundreds of other doctors able to fulfil that requirement" Kazuya breathed heavily in as he heard the several reasons for the troubles of moving so suddenly and how fragile the subjects were in their current condition before continuing "What I'm saying is that you shouldn't test my patience, for the sake of your own daught…." Kazuya spoke before he was interrupted as he saw the door open suddenly. He saw one of his bodyguards enter the room closely followed by Lee.

"I want in," she spoke as the first thing as Lee got a hold of her arms, she manoeuvred out of his grip but Lee was too fast an opponent for her. Before she knew it, she was on the floor and Lee had positioned himself behind her. He was capable of breaking her arm if she just thought of moving an inch. Kazuya looked at the spectacle in front of him, he didn't move a muscle.

"I thought I already had given you a warning, ms. Williams. Not only are you proving yourself inadequate to be a bodyguard but now you are also becoming an increasing intolerable pest" he spoke to her as he moved closer to them, she was staring at the ground as she knew perfectly well what Lee was capable of.

"So tell me" he spoke crouching in front of her, he lifted her face with his fingers so he could see her eyes "Why should I tolerate your amateur behaviour?" he asked her. She dared to look up at him.

"I know about the cryonics experiment" she spoke quickly fear struck her immediately as she had spoken the words. Kazuya looked up at Lee form his bent position, he knew he would be thoroughly questioned for the lack of security around information.

"What exactly do you presume that you know?" he asked her getting up, Lee knew too well the look Kazuya gave him. Didn't he have enough blood on his hands?

"I know you got to Nina," she spoke she felt Lee pull in her arm and a low scream escaped her, Kazuya looked at him asking him to control himself.

"I want to be a part of the experiment..." she spoke. Kazuya looked at her intrigued. So it was true, their bitter rivalry. He looked at Lee, he couldn't believe what extent she was willing to go because of it, so she was more foolish than he had thought. Lucky for him she had just solved a problem.

"Doctor I think I've found a solution to our troubles" he spoke in the telephone and ended the call. Lee knew what was required of him, placing a hand under Anna's arm he helped her on her feet and out of his office. Kazuya sat in his office, in the darkness in peace, he could hear the rain collide against the glass, which he sat behind protected of its harsh strokes, his great view of the city was all blurred.

His state of mind was no different.

Tokyo didn't seem to be the same as it was when he had left it. Everything had seemed to change. He turned in his chair and stared out of the window panel. The city was completely different now, the noises from the T.V couldn't seem to drown the cries of the rain.

He could only remember what Jun looked like in the rain, her drenched hair and her confusion. The confusion in her eyes when he had spoken those words to her. She didn't believe him, but it was true and when she knew he was honest her eyes had changed. He didn't understand why his mind at every opportunity would drift to her. His mind was drifting off when he heard her name spoken out loud, knowing that it wasn't his own voice he turned in his chair again and looked at the television screen. It was her name which had been spoken out loudly.

The segment didn't end with the failure of her rapport which he would have expected it to, he couldn't prevent himself from smiling after all he had been successful yet again at leading the world to believe what he wanted them to.

Disinformation had only seemed to have gotten easier by time.

The host was glad to say that she had returned to the city after her mystical disappearance, since she apparently was such a hot topic. They continued and showed pictures of Jun with another man. They reported that this was the second public sign of the rumoured couple had broken up. They showed pictures of them eating and walking the streets of Tokyo with some sort of comfort and pleasure. Kazuya noticed how close they walked to each other, the male was too close to her. Apparently they hadn't gotten pictures of them late at night or of him leaving early in the morning.

It seemed to be an easy task to keep their so called relationship hidden, and those who had evidence didn't get far.

Yet there was an uncommon familiarity between them, some other sort of comfort had caught his eye. Her eyes displayed some other feeling that even he hadn't been able to bring out in her.

He couldn't understand why he lost control of his own feelings, by such minor things. Why should he chase after her? Why couldn't he stop himself? He had lost all control of his feelings. The control of his feelings he had mastered at a young age. The only feelings he had room for was hatred and lust, the lust for power. Now he felt them change, the hatred and lust for power. He was losing grip of what he had created, he felt what he thought people described as love. He's mind revolved around her now, she filled too much of him. Yet he knew she was more than just the woman she was, she was just like him. He could feel the wretched creatures grip loosen, he hadn't felt its presence. He wanted to know more about her abilities and why.

He muted the T.V as he picked up his phone and dialled a number.

Jun sat with her computer doing research based on the new knowledge she had gained. Luckily for her she had a good friend in the police department, and was allowed access to their database after having explained what she feared. She sat with the tissue from the cafe in her hand, looking at the different names. What could the doctor possibly be experimenting on her for? She had seen other experiments but they all dealt with experimentations on animals. She had drawn a line out from the doctors name to Kazuya's, from his name there went a line to Nina's name and she was connected to both of them. What interest could they have in her? Mostly the question of what interest he could have in her. Then she remembered it had become standard to test on animals before humans, could the doctor have reached the final stages? Was he willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make the project a success? Jun rubbed her forehead from irritation, why him.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the phone ring and ruin the silence she had in her little home, she looked at it once. She decided to let the phone cry in despair, and to her great pleasure the ringing soon stopped. Jun sighed and continued her reading when the phone started to ring again, it cried much longer now than it had before, and she felt forced to pick it up.

"Hello" was her only respond as she had picked it up not feeling bound to pay any civility to who ever was calling, letting the person know that she had been interrupted and there were times that were inconsiderate to call someone.

"Good afternoon to you too," she heard his voice and she felt her heart choke immediately.

"Well, I thought you went to the office to do work and not call..." Jun stopped reminding herself to put it all away and store it in a half secret place.

"My mistresses?" Kazuya responded in the phone and Jun found herself shocked by the plural.

"Plural? I didn't know you had others than me?" she said with the most anxious voice she could produce.

"I wanted to ask you if you wanted to have dinner tonight?" he asked her not responding to her teasing, Jun found the question odd that he for once was asking her. It had been some kind of mysterious mutual understanding that it would be natural to dine together and so they had at every chance. Now he asked her something was bound to be wrong.

"We have dinner together everyday," she spoke establishing the fact.

"Just stay home, don't go wandering about" was all she heard him say before he hung up, she was now more than ever before sure of the fact that he was a man of few words. Weighing every word before he spoke but only when he felt inclined to tease her, did he use what was an overflow of words for his standard.

He said mistresses.

She wondered if it was from habit, she didn't know much about him. She couldn't know if he was seeing anyone else. Maybe he even had some female partner and she wasn't anything but a curious interest. A liaison. She looked at the papers spread all over the table everything was just a mess to her, the evidence doomed for being inadequate and the rumours. The rumours were the worst, it was her choice to trust one of them. Was she supposed to pretend that she knew nothing? She didn't want to know about the evil, the evil in him. It shined so easily through his eyes. He would tell her lies that she would rather believe, anything to keep him but she couldn't.

Kazuya rose from his chair and looked at the files one last time, before he locked them in the cabinet. He couldn't understand why he just couldn't stay away from her. He walked towards the door when he saw it open. Lee was on his way in.

"Now what?" Kazuya asked him irritated, Lee showed him some papers and he looked them over and looked at him. He couldn't understand why he thought them to be so important that he needed to look at them. He had thought that he had expressed himself clearly.

"What do you want to do?" Lee asked him. Kazuya's thought only for a while rested on the many options.

"What do you think?" he asked him irritated "Put Bruce on it" he told him and when he wanted to walk past him, Lee stopped him. He looked at his so called brother.

"What didn't you think he would participate? Or get this far?" he asked his brother "Make it difficult for the old man, I expected this of him. Only I thought he would be much faster" Kazuya told him as he walked to the elevator and pressed the button. When the door closed he saw his own reflection, he had hoped that the old man was dead, he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He looked at his reflection and tried to decide how much of the old man there was in him. His hair, his nose, his eyes, his lips and his ears. He wondered how much did he look like his mother, if he at all did look like his mother. There sure wasn't any habits or other traces of his mother to be found in him. He had once heard she was kind and loving.

Kazuya first arrived at her door when it was dark, and the buzzing of the city had settled.

"I'm sorry, I'm late there was some unforeseen business I had to take care of" he told her and it was first then she noticed the bags in his hand.

"Do you need help?" she asked him and followed him to the kitchen where the food was arranged onto different plates. It was apparently a three course meal, from one of the busiest and world acclaimed restaurants.

She smiled to him across the table, of course she could expect a man of his position to get exactly what he wanted, she knew for a fact that there was a long waiting list for those who weren't well connected. So the mere mortals had to wait several months for a table.

"So how was your day?" he asked her wondering if she would willingly let him know of her meeting with Takeshi, he was from another influential family, Kazuya had business with Takeshi's father like his own father once had. He had learned from Takeshi's father that Takeshi was a free spirit, and he had more interest in other pursues though his father hoped that he would prosper to take over the family business someday. The only thought he couldn't stand was the cause for them ever meeting, had been himself.

"It was fine," she told him not looking up from her plate "I restocked the fridge" she added the most eventless activity of the day just for the sake of saying something, she knew herself that she had enjoyed his company too much "I ran into a friend while grocery shopping" she had to confess. Kazuya didn't respond to her in words he only nodded, there was something wrong, something was out of balance and they both felt it. That something might never had been in balance, but now for the first time they could feel it. Feel what they never had before.

She picked up the plates and placed them in the sink as he took the glasses.

"Thanks for dinner" she spoke to him, as she let the water run.

"I'm glad you liked it" he told her and kissed her cheek, he lingered by her cheek. She was trapped between him and the sink behind her. She placed her hand on his chest feeling his heartbeat, she looked up at him and kissed him. She could feel him, his mind was troubled. His father. Some information she was better off without knowing. She kissed him again ignoring her instincts, the only thing she knew for sure was the sensation of his warm lips on hers.

She walked off leading Kazuya to her bedroom closely behind her. He settled on the bed as he saw her go into the bathroom. He unbuttoned his shirt exposing his chest underneath, he took a glance at the scar that was so familiar to him now. He felt it refuel him with hatred, and took off his socks. He got up when he heard the water run in the bathroom, he leaned up against the window his arm across it as his head rested on his arm.

He stared out of the window, time slipping through his fingers.

Time became nothing more than a blurred shadow of the raindrops falling from the sky. The rain was beating against the windows as loud as drums.

Takeshi in his mind again, he didn't seem of any danger, but it surely would draw her attention if something would happen to him. It just might turn out to be bad for business too, he tried to rationalise. More correctly tried to convince himself that it wasn't necessary, even though it would mean that the only heir would be gone. He pushed his thoughts aside as he got his pants off and placed them over a chair. She was apparently still in the bathroom.

He walked into the bathroom and saw her washing her face, she seemed distant and yet speculating. The only light cast on him was from the fluorescent tube, he stood in the doorway absorbing it all. Her lips formed a smile when she saw his face reflected in the mirror, she hadn't seen him approach through the darkness. She noticed him not wearing any pants and his shirt unbuttoned. The deep red colour suited him. His hands crept up her hips as he kissed her neck, Jun rested her head against him as he showered her with kisses as he frequently did now. It seemed like the outcome no matter what they did they would end up in a bed, mostly her bed. She confessed to herself that she enjoyed every moment. He stood behind her, quietly watching her. Jun turned and smiled weakly to him, making no honest attempt to smile.

"Who was he?" he finally asked her. Jun stood before him not knowing what to say, she knew perfectly well what it was he was talking about. Yet she hadn't thought that the controlled Kazuya Mishima capable of feeling such a trivial and degrading feeling.

Jealousy.

"So that's what it all was about?" Jun asked him, facing him. He didn't answer her, he was surprised at the reaction. Suspecting that it could have been a careless shrug and reassurances. He didn't care to answer her question.

"The dinner," she exclaimed first testing his reaction "What do you think me stupid? I think your call came right about after that segment" Jun told him more confidently. Kazuya placed his hands on the top of the tabletop behind her. If she wished to confront him she wouldn't have the option of evading her choice.

"Besides you're not good at containing your jealousy, it practically seeps out of you" she told him he just looked at her calmly, he didn't feel any guilt for what he had asked or felt. If any other person had been wrongly accused the person would have spoken up enraged or with some sort of feeling but he didn't display or feel any, he just kept quiet, he was intrigued. That was all he did, even his greatest reactions contained some sort of silence. Jun turned her head down and stared at her feet knowing very well that he wouldn't let her go until he had answered or rather defended himself.

"I confess," Jun lifted her head and looked at him "why should I be glad by seeing you walk around the city with another man?" he told her as she turned her head away from him.

"What did you think?" she asked him, she could feel his anger, it was bubbling underneath the surface. Her next question might just move it from anger to rage "Do you think I am sleeping with him?" she finally asked him knowing that it would set off his anger. He was vulnerable when the subject matter was these weird circumstances that seemed to make up their relationship. She would rather see him angry knowing where she had him than that stage where she didn't know who he was.

She felt him grab her arms she looked frightened up into his eyes.

"I don't worry about such things for no other man on the planet is tempted by damaged goods, like yourself" his words stung her like they never had, before she could even think she registered a loud smack sound. Kazuya's head was turned and his hands loosened their grip, she had slapped him out of pure reflex.

She didn't feel any regret.

He kissed her cheek calmly before he smoothly replied "My motives might not have been pure, but you know what I am made of…" he told her in whispers, his lips touched her ear lightly. He knew it wouldn't take much to persuade her to forgive him, he also knew that he didn't convince her nor did she forgive him.

"What kind of a man I am" he told her.

It was just an illusion. He didn't want her forgiveness and she, her heart would have another broken part. He kissed her cheek again, she turned her head away from him.

"You want to redeem me," he spoke into her ear "Do you really want to bother with a man like me?" his voice had changed, it was unusually cruel "Do you think you can save me?" he asked her another question. She looked up and met his eyes, they were different

"I'm glad that you find me worthy of your efforts" he spoke to her and she saw his muscles become tense, his knuckles became white. His face displayed no emotion he just stared at her, waiting for an answer. It seemed to be one of the rare occasions where he lost self control.

He drew his arms back and looked at her, she turned her head and rubbed the nape of her neck. How could she look at him? She saw him move towards the bathroom door, but he stopped. They had together started the fire, that now was consuming them.

"Do you really think you are my salvation?" he asked her before stepping out. Jun walked out of the bedroom and saw him sitting on her bed getting his pants on, facing the windows his back turned to her. Jun sat down on the bed her back turned to him. She placed her hands on the bed behind her inches away from his.

"He's just a friend," she spoke softly knowing that he would hear her. He sat quietly listening to her words, she could only hear the subtle crackling of the fabric.

"I know" he answered her quietly, placing his hand on hers. She turned to look at him, she felt his doubt, most of all she felt her own. She felt how his mind was flickering confused with the many emotions, decisions, hopes, fears and dreams. She closed her eyes trying to shut him out of her mind. It was too late he was everywhere in her mind.

The feeling too overwhelming for both of them.

He kissed her apologetically, offering her the little comfort he had to offer her.

He laid down on the bed, the doubt tearing him apart from the inside. Jun laid down beside him, her head resting on his arm. He held her close to himself, he felt her warm tears on his arm, yet he didn't speak any more consoling words.

Why shouldn't she be tempted by a man like Takeshi, he was from an honourable and respectable family. Takeshi himself was honourable and respectable, he shared the same passions as her.

Why shouldn't she be lying in his arms instead of here with him, a damned and cursed soul, she could have anyone. Yet he felt too selfish to let go of her to anyone else.

Jun felt herself hopeless, the tears pressing in the corner of her eyes she simply let go of them. All the emotions he had in his soul now filled hers the desperation, hatred and the thirst for vengeance. She was starting to doubt. She should have known that they would never be able to reach any further than this.

Both of them were broken, and two broken pieces didn't make one whole.

Kazuya woke in the morning, and stretched in the pale warm light that streamed through the glass. He looked at the clock, it was about time for him to get out of her bed. He had never slept so well in his life, he looked at her she slept so peacefully, unaware of what waited him through the course of the day. She knew nothing of his demons nor of the true devil he was himself. He hadn't slept like that since they had returned from Yakushima, he wondered if she might have anything to do with it.

Jun stretched clearly irritated in the bed before turning, she hadn't slept through the entire night. It seemed to her, in the brutal early morning hours that the truth was inevitable to her. She could only fail. Her trust had broken already. Nothing would be the same. Her existence had changed too radically, when ever she learned something it was only hurtful. It only damaged what she thought of him, and it only kept on getting worse. She had only been home one day and fate was ready to take from her what she wanted to keep. Every morning seemed colder than the previous, the light fading.

She heard the water running in her bathroom, confusion quickly appeared on her face. She looked at the clock, it was only 5:20 in the morning. She got up and made her way to the bathroom, she saw him taking a shower. A smile crept on her lips she washed up and made coffee for him. When Kazuya stepped out of the shower he saw her standing in the bathroom with a cup in her hand. She had that look in her eyes again, the one he had caught a glimpse of in Yakushima.

"What?" he asked her. She looked at him with only a faint trace of a smile on her lips. He moved closer to her. His body wet and the dripping drops from his hair ran down his back. His hair was pulled back, the unusual style made her smile.

"You should have come earlier then you could have joined me" she stared at his lips and he looked at her eyes. Soon her eyes found his, she stood almost on her toes when her lips finally touched his. He didn't move as he absorbed her gentle kisses. He placed his hand on her waist pulling her closer to him, he kissed her more passionately before she broke from his kiss. She smiled and gave him the cup in his hand and left him in the bathroom. He looked at it, it was coffee. He looked at himself in the mirror he had to go home and change, he corrected a strand of hair when his eyes fell on her comb. Wanting to use it he picked it up, then his eyes fell on her hair. He looked down at his chest then up and on his own reflection.

Kazuya went to the kitchen as he heard noises, he found her cooking something. She turned around to see him standing quietly, drinking his coffee she hadn't even heard him coming.

"You know when people get up in the morning its normal to say something like 'Good morning', or something in the that category" she spoke to him with a smile on her lips. He looked at her as he placed his cup on the table and the same warm smile was formed on her lips, she had apparently made a point of teasing him for his lack of ability to communicate with her. She turned her back to him again cutting something.

"Damn it" she suddenly burst out, holding her finger to prevent the blood. Kazuya came to her rescue.

"Here" he said pressing his handkerchief on her blood covered finger "where do you keep the plaster?" he asked her putting the handkerchief back in his pocket.

"It's fine, it'll heal better if I leave it" she said, "I didn't know you were the handkerchief sort of person" Jun spoke continuing to tease him.

"And I never knew that lurking, on men in the shower was your kind of thing, but wasn't it a form of good morning?" he asked her while smiling the very least he could and changed the subject.

"Well, it wasn't exactly a surprise. Was it?" she asked him, he simply nodded no and kissed her. He took a firm hold of her when he remembered that morning in Yakushima, she still owed him. He placed his hand on her cheek, he forced her back into the counter. She only welcomed his warm gentle touches in the chill of the morning. She locked her legs around his waist. He placed her on the table.

"Kazuya" Jun spoke before she was silenced by a kiss "Don't you have work?" she asked him. He kissed her one last time. He touched her cheek gently again, and helped her off the table.

Jun walked with him down to his car with her bag on her back, the street was empty at such early hours, an unusual sight in such a busy city. Kissing him on his cheek she went her own way, leaving him alone by his car.

"Jun..." he spoke holding her hand, he pulled her back to him. Jun looked at him giving him a look that only meant she was wondering over his sudden actions. He kissed her before letting her go again.

"I have to go out of town, for business" he spoke to her caressing her cheek as he noticed the concerned look in her eyes "I'll be gone for a week. I'll be back on Monday" he spoke his last words before kissing her and getting in his car. He looked at her figure in the rear mirror as it became smaller until it was nothing more than a speck on the mirror.

It was Thursday, he had only be gone some days, the separation seemed to tear their acquaintance. She was once again left alone with her thoughts and didn't know what to do with them.

She shuffled with her keys trying to get the right key in the keyhole, everything in Tokyo frustrated her. She had been around the city the whole day doing what little things that needed to be done, yet whatever she did her mind would be with him for some reason. She worried for him, she worried for a grown man capable of making his own decisions. Things had never been easy, but they could impossibly have meant to be this hard.

She pushed her thoughts aside when she heard the lock say 'click' she pushed the door open. She placed the keys in a bowl on the table, placing the grocery on the floor she took her jacket off. She picked the bags up again when she noticed the frame on the table had been moved. Jun ascribed it to her loneliness, she saw faults and lacks in everything.

Jun walked into her living room only to see a dark figure sitting in a chair in her living room. It was sitting in the darkness, it leaned forward and she recognised the well known stranger. She could see the likeness between them and yet she didn't feel any.

"Please ms. Kazama do not be worried, please sit down I only wish to talk" he spoke to her in perfect gentleman like manner if one could overcome the fact that he had broken into her home. His tone and way of speech was just as controlled as Kazuya's, if not better.

She walked to a chair not knowing what to do of herself, it wasn't the first time that she felt like this in front of the men of the Mishima family, she placed the grocery next to her chair and looked at him. Silently demanding answers. She didn't feel fear strike her as she had imagined she would if she was ever to face him, she was more curious than anything else. She only sensed curiosity and control from him. He knew what he was doing and why, what he was unsure about was her. He didn't know wether she could be persuaded or not.

"You are probably wondering what I am doing here?" he told her "Well, I have come to tell you about my son" Jun kept looking at him.

"Mr. Mishima I don't feel obliged to tell you about my professional relation to your son or about the dealings between his company and my employers" Jun spoke in a controlled voice knowing that this man could easily be rid of a little pestilence like her in the matter of seconds.

"Miss Kazama I do not expect of you to share with me, what ever intimacy it is you share with my son" he spoke certain in his case.

"I share no intimacy with your son Mr. Mishima" Jun told him unquestionably, she had come to face the realities of her sad romance. It could never amount to something substantial.

"I did not mean to offend you miss Kazama," he replied intrigued by her quick reply and he came to believe his decision to come would be more fruitful than he had hoped.

Jun felt a stronger urge to be quiet and not speak anything, she knew she had been a fool to speak so quickly, she could feel his confidence in this case. He was certain of that what ever intimacy they shared if broken his son would be more weakened, that was if he had been foolish enough to confide and rely so much on her.

"And what is it you have come to talk to me about?" Jun asked him, her only worry was to have him removed from her home.

"I am sure that you are aware of, that there is something profound about my son" he told her as if it didn't need mentioning and was a natural given that she would have noticed.

"My son, isn't like many other men you might have met in your young life" he told her taking an artistic pause "My son has been different for quite a while now"

Jun sat in the same place, she didn't know how long she had been sitting there. She hadn't moved since Heihachi Mishima had left. She didn't know what to think of what he had told her, he told her what Kazuya denied her. Did that mean that he was right and his reality was the truth? Just because it was the one she had heard first. Was she to believe him over the man she thought herself to be in love with. Now she thought herself to be in love with him, before Heihachi Mishima had come she knew she loved him.

One thing she was certain of was the fact that he wasn't an ordinary man, that she had known for long.

How could it be that the one feeling she had always believed would be the one to liberate her, had brought so much havoc into her life? It seemed to her that the price for love was too high, too much confusion, too much violence, too much past, too many ties, too much hatred.

Too much passion...

She had carried on with her ways as she was used to, not expecting or hoping too much from her fate or her surroundings. She had lived her life, carrying what she felt were secrets, heavy like stone and when she had the chance to taste something so different.

It had failed her.


	19. Chapter 19 Breakdown

Hello  
Another update for you fine people to read! Thank you for the reviews that were written.  
**ObviouslyTima:** I didn't mean for him to come across as being awkward. But in this relationship of a sorts they are having, I guess it might be at times for they aren't used to it, not in this fanfic at least. It is getting serious but I'll try to portray the funny more.  
The love scenes, Oh god I'm not very good at writing them so I settle for very discrete and loose descriptions based on the feeling rather than the act itself.  
**CoF66**: Well I do have the ambition of finishing it, over the next weeks. There isn't much left to tell.

I hope you enjoy reading and leave a review, so I can improve the story and writing  
ascho

*= symbol interpretation in the end of the story

* * *

**Chapter 19 Breakdown**

Kazuya stood in an elevator on way to the newly relocated research facility. He had always minded which words he had used to describe the different facilities he had, now was no exception. He walked down the long corridor guided by one of Dr. Boskonovitch research assistants. She continued to tell him about the different functions and new precautions they had taken, it had suddenly become a guided tour. He didn't remember having consented to such a tour.

When they reached to the designated lab, Kazuya continued ahead and left his self appointed guide behind. She for some reason hand't understood and followed in to the lab where the doctor waited. Only to be dismissed by the doctor himself with the rest of the lab personnel.

"So how are the subjects?" Kazuya asked, as the doctor lead him to the restricted area where the subjects were under surveillance.

"Subject A, was the most likely to have suffered due to the resent relocation" Dr. Boskonovitch spoke as he slid his card through the reader "But she has recovered and has therefore not suffered any serious injuries" he spoke walking down stairs followed by Kazuya. "It would be in the best interest of the subjects to not be moved in the nearest future" he told Kazuya with the very little authority he had as he stopped in front of the first human subject undergoing the treatment.

"It's not my intention to have the subjects moved any time soon" he said looking down on the former assassin who had tried to take his life. Now she was tame and to be groomed. He thought of the day she had attacked and the sudden rush he felt to protect a woman he barely knew.

"As you see, she has entered the second stage and therefore passed the most difficult stage. Our prime interest is now to see how she reacts to further treatment. If we compare to our other test subjects the transition should be unproblematic, but due to her being the first human test subject we will keep her health under observation at all times" the doctor gave the report in a static matter as it had become one of his most common habits. The subjects were no longer human to him, and were therefore referred to as such and treated like any other subject they had in the lab.

"How about the other subject" Kazuya asked about the second subject.

"The later subject is in the first stage, but as we have experience from subject A we expect the transition to be more smoothy this time" the doctor predicted as he noted different numbers and made notes form looking at the machines.

"The method it self?" Kazuya asked as he circled around the subjects.

"It does not seem to have done any harm, but you must understand that the subjects have only undergone this process for a little while. I am still to determine what affect longer exposure has on human subjects" the doctor expressed only worry when it came to the topic of his subjects survival and the results of his ambitious projects.

"Are your others subjects of no use on this problem?" Kazuya asked and reminded him of the countless subjects that he had experienced on, both of the animal and more primal phases of botanical subjects. The money that he had spent on the ambitions of the doctor, ambitions he had attached his own visions to.

"It is just as before, as it is human subjects we don't know how they will react or rehabilitate after the exposure, the human is still a complex object" he tried to explain Kazuya, slowly understanding that he might have higher ambitions attached to the project than he had himself.

"But the other subjects survive the long exposure," Kazuya spoke defiantly letting him know that he read the reports, and they weren't put aside to gather dust as the doctor might think. Kazuya had much greater interest in the research, interest that went beyond making money or groundbreaking discoveries to earn a reputation. He at times thought he understood his employer, that he saw a glimpse of his grander plan but not even the great doctor could understand his ambitions.

"Yes, but the matter is still the response on human bodies" the doctor spoke but when he saw the angered look from Kazuya he understood "But we will keep them under observation and there is so far no reason for suspecting a bad response to the long exposure" he spoke calming his nerves.

Kazuya made his way out of the facility, with the doctor close behind closing the area off.

"So Mr. Mishima I hope everything is satisfactory?" he asked carefully.

"Yes, everything seems to be in order and in good hands" Kazuya spoke looking at some other specimens and files lying on the different tables. Kazuya felt the cylinders in his pocket. He took them out and looked at the contents of the cylinders.

"I have some samples I would like you to examine..." Kazuya said handing him the cylinders containing dark hair and the other blood on a handkerchief. The doctor approached him and took the samples in his hand, examining the hair and the curious blood on the handkerchief.

"Yes," he spoke trying to inquire further into the objects.

"In the strictest confidence" Kazuya spoke "You are to send me all the reports and hereunder also all your thoughts." Kazuya said as the doctor put it away in his jacket pocket.

"Of course" the doctor spoke he had learned to not inquire further if he didn't give the informations willingly.

"I'll leave you to your work then, you have the address of my current residence have the files sent there." Kazuya spoke before he got up to leave "The strictest confidence" Kazuya spoke his last words.

"Naturally, brought to your current address" the doctor spoke following Kazuya out.

Kazuya was once again staying in a hotel room, the best his money could afford. Somehow he thought that he would never get used to such riches. No matter where he went he would be tired and the room cold and uninviting, no matter what sort of welcome gift was placed in the room by the hotel management. No matter what silks, marble or wood adorned the rooms. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't drink. He found himself staring out the windows again. His thoughts lingering on her again her gentle touches and sweet words in the morning, and her sweeter sighs when he managed to surprise her. He placed the glass on the table, taking only his sweatshirt and some cash with him he went quickly out of the door.

He walked down the barren streets with his hood hiding his face. At times he didn't understand his own actions, he had never before had the need to walk around anonymously. His hands deeply buried in his pockets, he followed where ever the street lights would take him.

Anywhere to escape her.

Kazuya soon found himself in the harbour of the small town. The boats were rocking to the ocean waves and the chatters of the late workers could be heard. Kazuya took the sea air in as he sat down on a bench. He knew what drove him. His hatred. He knew what needed to be done. Kill him. Kill him and she will be yours, he heard it whisper in his mind. Kazuya got up immediately walking faster for every step. He could hear its words, as if he was on his heels. Everything will be yours, he heard it promise. He needed her.

Kazuya walked down what he thought was an alley, in a desperate try to lose the creature. He knew very well that he could not escape it, his whispers would eternally follow him, even to his grave he would whisper in his ear. The ally led him to a courtyard, intent on turning around when he some young people sitting close, he saw the sign. It was one of those authentic hostels or bed and breakfasts. He supposed it had been there since the day of time.

He stepped in and acquired a room, under another name. One of the many he had used as a youngster. The hostel was the perfect cliche but every cliche was bound to some truth, it was owned by an elderly couple who had finally slowed down and had a less adventurous life. Loving every stranger that found their way to their little hostel. Collecting the life stories of others. Kazuya got one of the available rooms on the 1st floor, overlooking the other rooftops and in the very distant horizon the ocean was visible. The ocean glittered like pearls under the moon in the dark. Kazuya closed the shutters and placed his clothes on the only chair in the room.

The room had been carefully furnished with selected items, that he had no doubt had been replaced over the years as the fashions changed. Some items clearly bore the scars of time passing, making the whole room a giant puzzle with pieces from different times.

He laid down on the bed staring at the ceiling, he took in the scent of old wood and the fading but the ever present fragrance of flowers that didn't seem to leave the room. He could hear the floor creaking everywhere whenever someone would take a step. His thoughts drifted again, somewhere in the distance was the sea.

The sea. He had always been fascinated by the sea and often he found refuge in such small towns. He would work for the money or even just for the food and housing. As long as he could train and harvest the powers of the devil residing inside him. He had been naive thinking he could control such a thing, he had later been arrogant knowing he would conquer it, when he didn't even know how and if it was possible.

_Kazuya woke up as the light flooded into the room, forcing him to close his eyes again, he thought he had closed the shutters. He opened his eyes again, turning to check the shutters he saw her standing there. Gazing at something on the other side of the window, something beyond the rooftops. The pale light danced across her face illuminating it. She turned her head, catching his eyes with hers she smiled. She moved away from the window and towards him, her slow steps and the sway of her long dress made it look like she was floating across the stairs rather than walking. She sat down on the bed looking at him, she stroked his forehead as gently as only her touch could be. Kazuya took her right into his right hand. He looked at her pleading._

_She raised his hand to her lips and kissed his hand. She laid her head down on his chest, pulling her legs up on the bed. She was lying across the bed as Kazuya had his legs stretched. He felt her weight to be a very little burden. He rested his hand on her head and ran it through her hair. She was still holding on to his hand, not letting it go._

_"There can only be rebirth through death" she spoke suddenly lifting her head from his chest "You can only have me if you kill him" she spoke with her sweet voice placing her hand on his cheek._

_"Why are you saying this?" Kazuya asked her._

_"You do know what you have to do" she spoke placing her hand on his cheek "to obtain your freedom, to have me" she whispered with her sweet voice into his ear "again" and she kissed him. He let her seduce him wanting to forget the blood he had on his hand. He felt the difference in her kisses. He didn't believe the words she had spoken. They couldn't be hers. He didn't care she was warm and it was cold and dark and he was lonely._

Kazuya woke from his dream startled, looking around him he realised just exactly what it was a dream. Yet he didn't know to whether call it a dream or a nightmare. He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes. What he feared the most was before he could achieve anything he would be hospitalised for insanity. Why would she plague him like this?

Kazuya made his way downstairs with the hood hiding his face. He paid the couple and thanked them for their hospitality and paid compliments to their establishment, he began the long trudge back to the hotel. Upon arrival he saw the papers placed on the table, looking through them he realised he could easily be away longer than he first had thought. He settled on the couch flipping through the papers delivered from the facility about all recent progresses and the state of projects.

It was Tuesday more than a week later, she stood with her cup of tea on the balcony looking over the city as it was settling down in the late afternoon. Since his fathers visit she found herself incapable of finding a peace of mind. Only when she slept was she able to find peace, she never slept so well when he lay beside her. She rested her head in her hand as it rested on the railing of the balcony, it weighed her down too much. Her heart was a burden, but who would she be without it? Would she be happy?

She was looking at the answering machine all the time. Nothing.

She didn't know what they were doing, if he was going to be away more than the week shouldn't he tell her? Why wouldn't he? What did she even mean to him? She didn't even know yet what role he would play in her life. Of course it was that kind of business that she couldn't know anything about, she thought. Were they supposed to live side by side hiding their life's from each other? Would it be the day when he returned?

Would she tell him what her mind was filled with, that they didn't belong together?

Jun made her way through the house to her bed laying down, she inhaled his scent. It was all that was left of him. She pulled the covers over her head ignoring the fading light. She remembered that one morning in Yakushima, waking up next to him. She had felt so broken and he made it go away, with his kisses and unspoken promises. She felt sick to her stomach, she sat up in the bed. Holding her head in her hands, she closed her eyes hoping it would go away. She ran to the bathroom and vomited in the toilet. It couldn't be, she thought to herself trying to think back and exactly how long it had been. She had to make a doctors appointment, before he returned.

Kazuya met with the doctor again, he was drinking his coffee as he saw the doctor giving instructions making his way through his subordinates.

"Why am I here this early?" Kazuya questioned him as he followed the doctor to his office.

"Please sit," the doctor spoke gently, as he settled behind his desk "I have been informed that you will be leaving soon. You should reconsider the length of your stay here. I have done some preliminary tests, and quite frankly I will have to do some more tests. The build of the DNA is different from anything I have seen before. These preliminary aren't enough, this is very much complex. It seems to be reminiscent of some other DNA..." the doctor halted.

"My DNA," Kazuya spoke interrupting the doctor. He remembered how the doctor had behaved when he let him research his DNA, he was like a little boy excited for Christmas.

"I don't know how much they resemble, I will have to run further detailed tests to completely understand the build of the DNA. Running comparisons and such other things to completely comprehend how it is built. We don't even know what it is capable of" he spoke trying to explain exactly how complex it really was, having used the word several times wasn't enough for the doctor.

"I can imagine..." Kazuya spoke, how enthralled could he be by this woman?

_Jun walked through a dark corridor, her right hand was placed on the right wall tracing it. Giving her with the littlest safety as possible. She was wearing a dark blue* silk gown that touched her toes, very little of it she dragged over the floor as she held it up with her left hand. Kazuya sat in a room that looked much like the one of the bed and breakfast. He stood up from the bed and made his way to the window he pulled the curtains aside. He saw the distant sea behind the rooftops of old architecture. He stood silently listening to the creaks of the floor, the birds in the street and the distant calling of the sea. His trance broke as a different sound reached his ears. She had reached the end of the hall the was nothing else but a dark yellow* door. The turning of a handle. He looked at the door as the yellow slowly moved and opened, he saw her enter. He stood still by the window admiring her milky white skin. She truly was porcelain like. Jun stopped looking around, her eyes wandered she had never seen this room before. Then she saw Kazuya standing by a window, where she often found him at home. She looked confused when she first saw him. His red* shirt shone in the darkness. She walked to him, she couldn't remember the last time she had felt his lips, his gentle hand. He looked at her long blue gown, it was the colour of the ocean at night. She touched his arm lightly not trusting that it was the Kazuya she knew. He placed his hand on her cheek, closing the distance he kissed her._

_"Kazuya..." she spoke as she drew back and she knew it was him. She touched his face running her hand over his cheek to the back of his head. She demanded another kiss from him. He drew her closer to him as he satisfied her lust._

_"Did you miss me?" He asked her with a smirk on his lips. She kissed him again answering his question. He lead her to the bed as she unbuttoned his shirt and threw it to the ground. Jun placed Kazuya on the bed, sitting on top of him as he lay down. She kissed his chest lightly, leaving kisses as she traced her way up to his lips. She kissed his Adam's apple tenderly, looking up at him she knew he had missed her to. Kazuya saw her looking at him, and the pleasured smile on her lips. He had never allowed her to remain in control, he kept that pleasure to himself. He placed her on the bed next to him, as he slid the shoulders of her dress down, and continued to pull until her breasts were exposed to him. She looked at him knowing what would happen next, her eyes glowed with lust. Kazuya gentle ran his hand over her breast, as he kissed her. He kissed her breasts, as he felt her respond to his touch underneath him. Her hands found their way to his pants and soon they were discarded too. She kissed him eagerly, and he responded to her lusts. The lust was unbearable for Kazuya to contain, he wanted her to much. He tore the rest of her dress of, making it nothing more but shrouds on the floor. He took her of she was his to be claimed. Her sweet moans filled his mind, like nothing else had. They couldn't deny the pleasure, they couldn't deny each other._

_Kazuya laid down beside her and she lovingly stroked his cheek as she rested her head on his arm. He never was as happy as when they had these moments to themselves. He couldn't have enough of her. She in return found tranquility with him._

_"Return to me Kazuya..." she spoke and kissed his lips before the darkness fell._

Kazuya woke in the bed and breakfast with his hand fumbling in the dark for her. Her warm body was no where in the sheets to be found. So he opened his eyes and realised it was nothing but a dream. Yet it had felt so real, her voice her movement. He would know it anywhere, she was wonderful. There was no other creature like her.

Jun awoke in a panic the sweat dripping, it couldn't be happening. How could they have? How was it even possible, it was him. She removed some of the sweat with the back of her hand. His conscious was present in her dream. Where was he? Why would it happen now, something was wrong. Jun held her head in her hands, it felt like it would explode. How could she help him, the darkness had surrounded him.

The rabbit hole seemed to become deeper and darker.

Soon she stood by the street hailing a cab, she cared too much about him. No matter if he was a monster or not. She had to see him, he needed her. She could feel it, she could feel it in her bones. As the taxi drove she realised how foolish she was being, he could still be traveling. He never called her, he might never want to see her again.

The taxi stopped at the gates of his property, she stepped out into the night. The hood of her long coat shielded her against the unusual cold Tokyo summer night, autumn was approaching quickly. Her figure was nothing but a long dark shadow, floating across the bare and dark front garden. She stood still in front of the great doors, her fist lifted, ready to knock. She feared what was behind the doors, would she crumble like she had the last time?

She waited by the door for a long time, she had thought that he would have servants to take care of such trifle things as answering the door for him. She remembered the last time she had come, he had answered the door himself she hadn't understood it then. It seemed he lived alone in this big house.

He opened the door and the ray of light hit her, it seemed unusually bright. He stepped aside opening the door some more to her and gestured her to enter into his home once again. Kazuya started to walk to a different room, Jun could see the light was still on in the room he just had left. Soon he discovered that Jun didn't follow him, he stopped and turned and looked at her in silence.

"You didn't come by, so I thought..." Jun spoke calmly where she stood as she pushed her hood back to rest on her shoulders "I just wanted to see you," she spoke looking at him. He didn't reveal any reaction.

It seemed to some sort of mutual understanding that she never sought him out at his home, but he had some sort of liberty to seek her out. That was what she told herself, but she knew that she was too frightened to do anything about it.

"I meant to leave a message for you," he spoke to her "I came in early this morning" he spoke when he saw her approach. Jun said nothing, and placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him reassuringly. He was getting lost in what ever he had been called away for. She had to bring him back, she held him tightly proving her warmth was real.

"Why so long..." she spoke looking into his eyes

He pulled away from her tender kisses and that look in her eyes.

"Stay tonight" he spoke to her, she only nodded in reply. He looked more tormented than before he left. She had to stay, or he would sink into darkness.

He walked up the stairs with her hand in his, Jun looked around herself. It seemed like a shadow had engulfed the entire estate and his manor. She could imagine his father living in a place like this but he seemed detached from the place. She saw framed pictures which she assumed to be either family portraits or something similar of sentimental value, if the family once had been capable of such feelings. She saw the long grand hall decorated with antiques, and large old paintings collecting dust.

The only thing she could think of was that it was a dreadful and colourless place to grow up in, for a child.

She heard a door creak and before she knew it she was in his bedroom. She looked around her, it had a fire burning in the fireplace. She immediately noticed the grand dark blue drapes blocking all light from the outside. She sat down on the bed nervously, Kazuya didn't know why she felt nervous. It occurred to him that she had never been in his home, he saw her stand up and take her jacket off and place it on a chair nearby. She moved around nervously, he hadn't seen her nervous around him for some while. She saw an old writing table, it looked antique. Decorated with elaborated heavy handles and deep carvings.

Books, few books on his table she assumed he had some grand library at his disposal and the books on his table to be his favourite or new objects that had caught his attention. All the while she marvelled and created a personality based entirely on the objects she saw. She knew she could discover things about him that he otherwise wouldn't be willing to tell her. Kazuya observed her as he sat on the bed.

She turned and smiled faintly as she walked over to his side, she sat down next to him and kissed his cheek. Kazuya kissed her lips in return resting his head against her forehead. Jun kissed him again, more passionately than she had before. She swung her leg over his and sitting on his lap she kissed him again, he remained passive only responding very little to her affection. She knew the kisses were different from what they had been at first, Kazuya was different. She looked at him, tilting his head up she stared into his dark eyes. He looked into her brown eyes that seemed too warm. This was a different man, it seemed as if he had been drained of energy and was now lost.

She saw the fear and hesitation in his eyes she could feel it in her own body, she placed her hand on his temple gently, tenderly trying to comfort him. He could see it in her eyes, she still wanted to change him. He could feel her mind and soul rummaging through his mind searching desperately for some light, some hope. She wanted so desperately to be his salvation, her whole existence seemed to depend on it.

"Caught something interesting?" he asked her suddenly, holding her hand by its wrist in his hand violently. She placed her free hand on his temple, and kissed him gently. She felt him ease, she felt his doubt melt. He was letting her seduce him, forgetting what she ultimately wanted. Her delicate kisses her flowery perfume, the way her hand travelled over his chest. She could feel her influence on him, not only was his hand loosening around her wrist, his mind. His mind was changing. Its sinister thoughts were soon slipping into the dark, they weren't forgotten he decided to let them be for now. Only to indulge in her for a moment. Soon he gave over to her, he let his barriers down at her command. He was overcome by her much finer and delicate skills, and he had thought that he had been the predator, it had been her all along.

He was her prey.

Kazuya listened to her calm breathing, he looked at the clock that only seemed to tick away faster for every time he looked at it. It was five in the morning, he placed her head on the pillow gently. He put on his training pants and walked along the long corridor and down the stairs. He entered a remote room, closing the door behind him he was enveloped by darkness. He found the matchbox where he knew he had left them. He lighted the few candles he needed and the incense he preferred. He sat down on the middle of the floor, he folded his legs and placed his hands on his knees. He sat silently for a while till everything around him had fallen silent, the small smoke rose straight up into the air and the small fire danced quietly. He stood up in the half lit room, and began on a well known routine. As he went along in his private dojo, he departed from the well rehearsed routine. More violent moves were produced, more energy was burned. He felt his spirit become calmer than before. He stopped, stood still taking in the silence. His body aching, he sat down again to meditate. He heard it whisper from the corners of the dojo.

"Worthless. Pathetic. Wicked. Damned. Weak. Useless. Undeserving"

They were the words whispered to him. He was all of them.

"What could she possibly want from you? You're a waste of space… She only wants to change you… What about your goals?"

"Be quiet!" Kazuya spoke silently, he wouldn't have that creature in his sanctuary. It would seep in through the cracks and steal from him whatever peace he had managed to find.

"What could you possibly want from a weak woman like her?"

It had seeped into his mind and soul.

He had difficulty telling apart what he desired from what that damned creature did, he couldn't recognise his own desire and hopes from its. For he never knew if it was what he had desired or if it was a will, a thought, a desire planted in his mind by it.

Its eternal whisper would plague him through the night, never being able to tell his own voice apart from its. Its voice had been his consolation for such a long time, he knew no other voice better than its.

He knew no other being better than it.

He felt his presence and voice fade, as the smoke of the incense evaporated into the air and yet unlike the blessed scent that would linger behind the damned creatures presence would never fade.

Its voice would forever echo in the halls of the mansion, and the darkest corners of his soul. It creeped along the halls, preying for another innocent soul to devour.

Like his once was.

Jun woke up as the water gently stroked her face, she open her eyes slowly. A fear of what might come into her sight made her resist.

Everything was nothing but a blur.

_She felt the rocky surface underneath the shallow water*. She brushed the hair gently away from her face, and wiped herself clean of the water. She lifted her upper body from the water and rocky surface underneath. She felt the stinging from having laid there for too long, she didn't know how long she had laid there. She couldn't see anything, everything was engulfed by darkness and yet she had thought that she had heard the wind shake the leaves of a tree. She felt with her hands around herself, and felt nothing but the rocky ground underneath the water. Jun's fingers glided over a metal tube, she picked it up eagerly and felt on it hoping her senses could identify it even though she was robbed of her sight. She recognised the shape of it and silently prayed for it to work. She found the button and pressed it in._

_It kept the darkness back and a relieved sigh left her, she looked at her surroundings and saw only the forest*. The forest spread for as far as she could see. She looked at the water and it was filled with dead leaves* blocking the view to the stone underneath. The stone were the darkest black, blacker than the night, yet it possessed the ability of reflecting the light from her flashlight. The obsidian* was beautiful._

_Jun moved towards the trees, her white* dress clinging to her. As she approached the trees, the stream of light broke. She felt the panic rise in her body, as she slammed it repeatedly against her palm. The light streamed from it once again, but she knew how uncertain its promise was. She moved quickly through the big clearing to the trees. She was about to walk by them, when she felt something odd. The cedar trees* were rotting._

_The beam of light stopped once again and this time no amount of hitting or degree of strength could persuade it to obey. She threw it to the ground as the frustration built in her, she heard it clang and roll along the surface, pushing the water aside._

_There was no moon in the dark sky._

_Jun felt on the ground hoping she would find something, anything. She felt two pieces of stone she lifted them out of the water, trying to make a spark emerge from the flint*. It was no use, she had no dry wood, and yet she continued desperate for a spark. She placed her hand on the tree and traced her way to the next. She walked for what seemed to be hours. She was tired and on the verge of giving up. When she saw small specks of light floating in the air. The fireflies* were everywhere, not bothered by her presence. Jun waved them away as she passed their groups. The irritation building in her, she clutched her throat as she felt her breath become heavy. She felt the necklace around her neck more heavy than she had before. She hadn't even had felt its presence until now. The light provided by the fireflies was insufficient as she continued walking from tree to tree. She saw them gather in groups but it was no good. No matter how many of them gathered it was useless…_

_It all was useless, she couldn't do anything. The darkness was everywhere, everything was vague. Until her eyes fell on it._

_It was the most beautiful creature she had seen. A white light emanated from it, illuminating the nearest trees. She saw the creature move elegantly through the woods. The oddest feeling took possession of her, she had never felt so free, tranquil and serene. Suddenly her brown eyes fell on its black eyes, she felt a belonging in her heart that she had never felt before. A feeling a man couldn't be responsible for. She stretched her hand out to the white horse*, approaching it slowly._

_She touched it gently, it didn't stir. It wasn't frightened by her. The horse turned away from her and started to walk, Jun followed it in the darkness. She had no other to turn to. Walking a few steps behind it she suddenly spotted something, the brightest colours of white and blue were emerging from the dark. She continued walking, she felt cold the feeling of belonging couldn't make her forget her loneliness. She turned to the light and traced it to its source, the horse had stopped behind her following her footsteps, it stopped and watched her pick the moonstone* up. She turned it in her hand, admiring it, it felt different._

_She looked at the creature, the horse observed her silently it knew the look in her eyes. Jun saw something different in its eyes, fear. Jun felt a hand touch her shoulder and her lapis lazuli* necklace broke to small pieces, she jolted her head up she knew that cold feeling she had felt it before. The horse reared. Her eyes searched the empty space for it, it was no where to be seen. She could only hear its distant running steps, she picked some of the pieces up and yelled for it._

_"Wait! Stop! Please..." she yelled but it didn't hear._

_The steps only became more distant, she ran after it knowing she never could catch up with it. She ran, fear and doubt filled all the corners of her heart. Jun tripped over a rock and fell hard to the ground she saw the stones fall out of her hand and spread all around her. Jun lay on the ground the tears pressing in her eyes, she heard its footsteps fade away. She picked the moonstone up, her only consolation. It was broken, a crack went all the way to its core. The tears pressing in her eyes making her vision blurry, she threw the stone at a tree and saw it shatter to small bits, it broke easily like glass._

_She first then saw her surroundings, she looked around herself. It couldn't be, was the only thought in her mind. She didn't understand how it could have happened. The lake* in Yakushima, it was gone, dried up. She saw something lying on the bottom of the former lake. It was dead lotus* flowers, they covered the whole bottom. She saw another light, desperate now she waded through the dead flowers to reach it. She tore the flowers apart to reach the light. She had no other comfort. She felt her energy diminish as she tore through them. Never before had she felt her psyche at such a low. She finally reached the light, to her amazement it was another stone. A bloodstone*, she took it up hoping and wishing for another possibility another life. For his peace and love, she fell to her knees and then onto her back. Life sucked out of her._

_She heard her name called out loudly and still it was nothing more than a whisper. She heard the lotus flowers break under her feet, then she saw it. The creature she feared the most stood above her. She felt its hand run over her forehead and down her cheek, she had no strength to fight it. It looked at her clutched hand and pried it open, it took the stone out of her hand looking closely at it. It hissed and bared its teeth like an animal, crushing it in its hand. The dust ran out of its hand and then it locked its eye on hers. She knew its eyes, they were too familiar. She couldn't resist it because she knew the the soul locked in the creature. It lifted her body up from among the dead flowers, it walked away with her into the woods._

Jun woke with a jolt, she looked quickly around she had felt the darkness. It was gone now, she had heard it whisper her name and it had sounded like him.

It was him.

She looked out the window and saw the dawn breaking the dark skies. She put on her clothes and walked down the stairs. She couldn't see him anywhere, she put on her shoes quietly and her jacket. She didn't know what it was she had believed, a foolish dream for a foolish girl. She opened the heavy door carefully and closed it behind her as she made her way for the main gate. She had suffered from nightmares before but never had the creature dared to be in her dreams, its hold on his soul was getting stronger and she could do nothing about it.

Jun spent most of her day calling the different sources she knew and who owned her different degrees of favours for the help she had aided them with. Though she didn't want much from them except from confirmation she didn't release them from their debt.

What she feared the most seemed to be true.

She couldn't stop him, he wouldn't change his mind.

She loved him but he wasn't good for her and what good was she for him. She couldn't do the one things she was prophesied to do. She couldn't save the man she loved. Tears began to press in the corner of her eyes, she stopped them there, not willing to let them fall.

She looked at the clock in her kitchen, it was that time of the day again. Soon he would knock on her door, she would open the door and he would greet her with a kiss. Then the kiss would be renewed with greater passion. They would eat in a deadly silence. Then they would continue to her bedroom with the same smiles and heated passion, and repeat the one act where they felt complete. Jun could see it all coming, she was disgusted by it.

He lied and deceived her, how could she love such a man. He would bring her nothing but harm.

She lied to him and deceived him.

Kazuya walked back to his room, he wondered what the time was. If he could just lay down in bed again with her, and feel nothing else but her soft warm skin and hear her sweet voice. He opened the door to his room, one of the curtains were drawn back letting the pale sunlight in. He walked to it slowly and as he drew back again he knew it. He looked at the bed and it was empty. There was only the warmth she left in the sheets after her, and her dying scent.

Jun stepped out of the taxi, holding her head she gave the driver the money. She couldn't remember the last time she had taken such a nauseating trip. She let herself in the building and checked the post. Only bills and commercial even after she had put the "No commercial, please" sticker on they still came. She went up the stairs and stopped at the top of them. The nausea and headache were pressing harder. She held on to the railing and breathing in slowly. She started to walk quickly to her apartment door, and started to fumble with the keys. When the door opened Jun ran to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. She walked to the kitchen to drink water, her legs were shaking under her.

Jun heard a knock coming from the door she knew who it would be. She had left early in the morning, without any word. She opened the door and there he was. Kazuya stepped in looking at her. He kissed her quickly,

"You look pale," he spoke with some concern in his voice as he stroked her cheek.

"I'll be fine," she spoke and kissed him. He followed her into the kitchen, helping her with what last preparations were needed. They stood in peace moving around preparing the food. While eating Kazuya looked at her, as if he were observing her. When her eyes would meet with his, he would take her hand in his own. She relaxed.

He couldn't stay away from her, it wasn't possible. He had to know everything about her. She could feel his mind, it was tangled up around a single thought. She was the object of this. She grew more nervous, she hand't excited such interest in him since the start. Everything had changed now.

Jun made some tea, the only thing that had the power to make her relax. She offered him some as he looked at some papers, papers that weren't rushed into hiding when she was close. He smiled as she placed the cop in front of him, he took her hand and kissed it. A faint smile found its way to her lips.

She was sitting on the bed when he came to her room, he unbuttoned his shirt walking to the window.

"Is it true?" she finally said the question bursting out of her as she was sitting on the bed.

"What?" he said in return, his back turned to her.

"That you sanctioned human experimenting, cryogenics. Is that why Nina Williams suddenly disappeared" Jun paused getting up from the bed to observe his movement, he sat still not moving.

"What happened to miss Williams, I am not aware of. All I know is that she was disqualified for not attending the scheduled match" he told her looking over his shoulder, his admiration of her ability to require information had grown to an irritation. That soon became more than he would put up with.

"That's very convenient" Jun spoke in a low voice to herself, he looked out of the darkened window, the rain was pounding against it. The drumming sound was getting louder for every second and even louder in Jun's head. The deafening sound gave the impression that it would break through the window any minute.

"Don't you think I can see it in your eyes? You want me to change my sinful ways" he told her as he had many times before, anger was clearly to be traced in his voice, the first emotion he had revealed. He approached her slowly.

"You were so different in Yakushima, Kazuya" she spoke to him as she approached him and met him before he could reach her, they stood by the foot of the bed "I saw you more tranquil there than here in Tokyo," she laid her hand on his cheek as she spoke to him "I saw a great man, a kind man" Kazuya looked at her as he heard her say the word "A compassionate man" Jun looked at him, she saw the confusion in his eyes. Why did she do this to him so often, couldn't she leave him in peace.

"What makes you think that the man you just described, is so different from the man standing in front of you?" he spoke to her controlling his voice to a very high degree "What makes you think that those men aren't the same, that the man you described isn't capable of the same cruelties as I am?" he spoke as he removed her hand from his cheek. He held both her hands by their wrists, holding her firmly in his grip.

"I'm not, I saw something different. I saw something you hide away underneath..." she spoke and didn't feel herself capable to finish her sentence. She could feel it now, something sinister it always waited for its opportunity. Her breath quickened and she felt herself panicking and scared to her core. "Let go of me, Kazuya" she spoke silently, trying to pull her hands away she felt his grip tighten around her wrists.

"Kazuya..." she spoke more desperately.

"Underneath what?" he dared her to complete her sentence, he demanded from her as he moved one hand to her jaw holding her tightly so she couldn't escape his eyes, she looked up at him her eyes pleading him to not go on "Even it is a part of me" he spoke pulling her hand to his chest with his left, right above his heart "It's a part of my being, it's in my blood" Jun tried to pull her hand back but he held on to it tightly. "Why do you stay, when you know what I am?" he asked her, she could feel the sincerity in his voice. She didn't answer, he didn't know if it hurt him more that she didn't tell him or if it would be better to hear the sick truth repeated again. His saviour couldn't even say the cursed creatures name. What strength did she possess? Only what his own imagination could concoct. Jun knew that look in his eyes, it wasn't as much his eyes as they were the demons. She could almost feel it whisper in his ear.

"Answer me" he still waited for an answer. He held on to her as tightly as he ever had.

She said nothing, what could she say to the man she loved.

"Because…" she spoke and her voice cracked she had no strength to speak "I love you" she spoke as she looked into his eyes. The tears running down her cheeks. She saw his eyelids flicker. She felt his grip loosen on her jaw and her hand. She stood numb only small inches away from him.

"Do you know that I am the one they come to? When they are turned down. When they're are too afraid to test. I push the boundaries of what is our world" he spoke proudly of his endeavours "I do what other men couldn't even dream of doing. I push everything forward!" he spoke softly holding her even more tightly "What gives you the right to judge what I do as wrong or right?" he questioned her authority over him. He was filled with anger, he was only ever the one being judged. His whole life, he could do very well without her judgement.

Kazuya fell to his knees, his mind had never been in such a dark place. He never before wanted to kill her so much, like he did this moment. Jun crouched down to him, and held him. He didn't resist her, he didn't know what he wanted.

* * *

*Here as always the different symbols from the different dream sequences. As seen in. J.C. Coopers "An illustrated encyclopaedia of traditional symbols"

Second dream sequence

Blue = Truth, the intellect, revelation, constancy, magnanimity, peace, contemplation and prudence. It is also the void; primordial simplicity and infinite space which, being empty, can contain everything

Red = Passion, fire, love, joy, energy, ferocity, sexual excitement, blood, anger, vengeance, bloodlust, blood-guiltiness, magnanimity

Yellow = Ambivalent, faith and goodness. Dark Yellow = Jealousy, ambition, treason, secrecy and betrayal.

Third dream sequence

Water: The source of all potentialities in existence, the source and grave of everything. Symbolic of the great mother. The feminine principle. The immersion in water not only symbolises the return to the primordial state of purity but also death to old life and rebirth into the new.

Forest: The realm of the psyche and the feminine principle. Place of testing & initiation of unknown perils and darkness

Dead leaves: sadness, decay, autumn

Obsidian: Aztec = bringer of life and death

White: Transcendent perfection

Cedar: Strength, nobility and incorruptibility

Flint: Hardness of the heart hence indifference, the spark of love

Fireflies: Buddhism = Shallow knowledge incapable of lightening the darkness

Horse: Japanese = goddess of mercy and a great mother

Moonstone: The moon, tenderness, love

Lake: The feminine, magical feminine powers

Lapus Lazuli: Divine favour

Lotus: Divine birth issuing unsullied from the muddy waters, Chinese = purity, peace, feminine, past present and the future

Bloodstone: The granter of all wishes


	20. Chapter 20 Breakthrough part 1

**Author** **Note:  
**  
Hello,  
I finally have the time to put the effort into this story that it deserves and the readers deserve. I can't promise regular updates as I strive to do my best, and won't post anything that I find unfitting, even if it is only small details. I can only promise that updates will be made till it is finished, it is a project long overdue.

I would like to thank you those individuals who wrote to me and reviewed this story, during my long hiatus. Your words and attention to my story is encouraging!

I hope those who read it, are still interested  
Best Wishes  
ascho

**Technical details**  
This chapter had been split into three parts, currently, as it consisted of about 60 pages in total.

**Chapter 20 - Breakthrough part 1**

* * *

"You can't continue like this Kazuya, it's destroying you. You're loosing control" she spoke to him in a low voice with care. She walked him to the bedroom, he wasn't incapable of walking, but it was comforting for her to know that she could help him in some manner. He seemed to be at war with himself. He was lost in his thoughts again, like she saw him too often.

"What do you know of demons?" he asked her, as she sat him down on the bed, "What do you know of me? What I have done? What I continue to do?" he asked her again. She presumed to know too much, she knew nothing about him, his thoughts turned hostile towards her. They had only shared a bed, nothing more. Thinking that she was able to help, she was always deceiving herself.

"No, I don't know of your demons Kazuya" she spoke as she stood by the windows, "But it's only because you deny me. You create this distance..." Jun stopped as she didn't know what to say. She looked at him he was just staring down at the floor, as if he was a five year old who knew he had done something wrong and now came the scolding.

"You're mistaken, if you think you are only harbouring that creature" she only said it to catch his attention, she continued as she knew she had him in her grip "By every second that passes you become it. It's corrupting you," he looked up at her for the first time. He was intrigued by what she might know, her abilities had surprised him before and they continued to do so. "You don't think I can hear it whisper in your ear" she spoke, Kazuya made eye contact with her "It's a force to be reckoned with and I think you know that" she said deciding to not speak any further on the subject, or he would just become cold to her words and her worries.

"What are you going to do? Sacrifice yourself in some ritual to save me?" he spoke with irony, with a smile on his lips he spoke "I think these rituals demand a virgin". He watched her expression change into one of disbelief, she looked like she would slap him any given moment. She as usual held back from violence.

"No," she spoke, what else should she say to him that his words hurt her? He said it purposely to hurt her, she wouldn't satisfy his need to hurt and distract her. He ought to be more worried about his life, and the decisions he made more than hurting others for little pleasure and entertainment.

Jun walked across the room to him, she sat down on her knees looking up at him. His head bent and eyes closed again. She touched his hands with hers, as she removed them from covering his face. She waited for him to open his eyes, then he did. She looked into his eyes again, as she had previously his mind was in the same state. It seemed to her that it didn't change much, his thoughts were clouded. It was trying to prevent her.

"What are you doing..." he asked her, moving her hands away not letting her touch his temples.

"Just… let me" she said, he looked at her and saw an opportunity. He let her hand go, slowly she placed it on his temple again. She hand't done it often, but it came natural to her. She started to move her fingers in a circulating motion, gently massaging him. The mind just seemed to be a large library to her, hundreds of millions of catalogues spread out. She wanted to ease his mind, while at that she could perhaps make his troubles weigh less.

She felt the terror that was his childhood, the loneliness and abandonment of his teenage years. His eventual ascension to power, and how he felt that he for once had gained control of his life. Then she saw it, its eyes were on her. It wasn't just a memory in his mind, like she always experienced people. It came towards her and took a hold of her face, it looked deep into her eyes. Its red eyes burning brighter. She pulled her hands back and opened her eyes, the panic was clear in her eyes. She fainted.

"Jun, Jun..." Kazuya spoke as he caught her in his arms. He only managed to register her closing her eyes, and the wrinkles appearing on her forehead until her hands darted away and she fell backwards. He didn't know what to do, he stroked her cheek.

"Jun..." he spoke her name softly. She didn't respond, he checked her pulse while still holding her in his arms. It was stabile he determined, she would come to herself in time. He placed her gently on the bed, her head naturally turning to her right. He brushed some hair away from her eyes, he kissed her forehead lightly as he stared at her for some while. He had felt it right before she fainted, it had stirred like never before.

She might be of more advantage than he previously had assumed.

He walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of water, he searched through her cupboards to see if she kept the medicine in the kitchen. Kazuya took the aspirin, a chair and the glass of water he carried it back to her room. He placed the glass of water and the aspirin on her nightstand. He placed the chair opposite her and sat down. He pulled the blanket over her and gently stroked her arm. She was warm.

He leaned back in the chair and stared at her, why was she so special?

Jun opened her eyes slowly, she could see the light starting to appear, but something was casting a shadow on her. Holding her hand up, she recognised the form belonging to Kazuya, a groan escaped her as the headache pierced through her mind, she sat up in bed. He suddenly sat up straight, and looked at her. He had heard her groan lowly and the sounds of the fabric. He was soon by her side, a hand on her arm and a quick kiss. Jun looked confused, Kazuya looked at her, and a try at soothing her lead to running his hand through her hair.

He kissed her forehead.

"What happened?" Jun asked, she could see the worry in his eyes. His mind spoke clearly to her, her head felt as sore as if it had been nailed to a wall.

"You don't remember?" Kazuya asked her and saw her expression change to a thoughtful one, when she stopped her mind search, she responded with a no by shaking her head.

"We fought…" she spoke remembering their word exchanges "… again" she said and finished. She held her head as the drumming wouldn't stop.

"You fainted" he spoke in a low voice, he observed her as she looked at the clock. It was only 4.30 am. How could she do it to him? She immediately regretted what she chose to do in that moment.

"Have you been awake all night?" she asked, when she saw the traces of red in his eyes. She changed the subject, for her heart was feeling guilty already. She had betrayed his trust, what little trust they shared with each other had become sacred to her.

"You should lie down," he spoke, and forced her down into the bed again "I'll call a doctor to come by, and check up on you by morning" he spoke, as he picked up his jacket from the chair indicating that he would leave quickly. Knowing she was fine.

"Kazuya..." Jun spoke, her voice more weak than she intended it to be. Kazuya walked back to her and sat down by her side. She placed her hand on his cheek, and kissed him. He didn't expect to be kissed with such passion so early in the morning, and especially not after having told her she had fainted "Stay?" she asked Kazuya. He placed his jacket on the chair. He quickly pulled his pants and shirt off and crawled into bed with her. Jun pulled her own dress off and threw it on the floor, she lifted his arm and lay close to him. She felt his protective arm embrace her, and she felt safe again. Everything was far away again.

"I'm sorry" she spoke in a whisper to him. He brushed his hand through her hair, trying to comfort her.

"For what?" he asked her and kissed her forehead, he gently ran his hand up and down her arm. Then he lead his hand to her back and gently stroked her, she turned her head up and looked at him.

"I must have worried you" she spoke and kissed him. She lead her hand up to his hair, and traced it down the side of his temple and rested it on his cheek. Everything was again forgotten, as the harsh words and heated arguments often were. He looked into her eyes. He knew what she had seen, there was nothing else in his life but hatred, misery and loneliness.

It had been like that for a long time.

"You worry a lot for me..." he spoke gently into her ear and kissed her, Jun responded to his comforting kisses. He pulled her closer to him he had missed her warmth, he pulled her on top of himself. She lay on his chest kissing him, she tangled her leg around his. Her hands were tangled up in his hair, and Kazuya's hands were tracing their way down her side.

"You should sleep, you need proper rest" he spoke as he made eye contact with her breaking their kiss. He placed her on the bed and brushed some hair away from her eyes and kissed her.

"Are you blowing me off?" she questioned him. The covers of the bed were tangled to a mess around their waist. She lay facing him resting her weight on her elbows she lifted her upper body from the mattress, her hands folded and underneath her head for support. Kazuya stroked her arm, and smiled to her.

"No, I'm just a tease" he spoke and saw her expression change, as he smiled what she called his 'cocky, I've already won' smile, his hand traced down her arm to her waist and lower to her hips, where he caressed her. His hands found its final resting spot on her lower back. "Besides I can have you when I want" he spoke demonstrating his power over her, and again he saw her expression change, this time to one of fear. He pulled her in by her hips meeting with his, and he kissed her when the contact was made, another delighted moan left her as she wrapped her leg around his.

**...**

Jun woke again by the light in the room, she turned in the bed only to find it empty. She was lying half naked in her bed alone. She gathered the sheet that was covering her body and sat up. She stretched in the light before she stood up and let the sheets fall to a bundle around her feet. She pulled an old t-shirt out of the drawer and pulled it over her naked body. She washed and stared at herself in the mirror as she brushed her teeth, the appropriate amount of time to see if there was anything different. Done brushing her teeth, she stepped back and looked closer at herself, she lifted the t-shirt and stroked her naked stomach. She was still waiting for the call that would determine her life. She wondered what it would feel like, to have another life in her.

A life created by them.

As Jun made her way to the kitchen for her morning tea, she pulled her hair up in a tight pony tail. She saw the clock and realised it was already noon. She made it to the doorway when she realised she wasn't alone. Kazuya's pants and shirt were still lying on the chair. She made her way to the kitchen and saw him standing by the stove, wearing nothing but his t-shirt and boxers. She walked up to him and planted a kiss on his neck.

"Good morning" she spoke as her hand rested on his back she leaned up against him. Kazuya turned to greet her, by kissing her tender lips he placed an arm around her waist and pulled her closer in, Jun gladly returned his passionate kisses.

"That's how you say good morning to your lover" he spoke.

"Oh," Jun spoke turning her eyes away "Then I apologise, I think I've confused you with someone else for I've been kissing the wrong person" she spoke with a smile on her lips.

"I wouldn't hope so" Kazuya spoke and poured her a cup of tea "I'm making you breakfast," he spoke. Jun turned the radio on and sat patiently by the table listening to music. She had done what she could to find a music only radio channel, eventually she had succeeded in finding one where she was in no danger of hearing unwanted truths. Kazuya soon came with the breakfast and again she was surprised by the innumerable skills he possessed.

"You never told me, how you learned to cook so well" Jun asked him, she saw the tiniest change in expression from him. He looked thoughtful for a minute. Jun took a bite of her omelette.

"I worked in a kitchen once," Kazuya spoke revealing something of his past, he watched her eat "It was a long time ago, in a little town that was dependent on their fishing industry. I stayed there for a long while, and eventually got to prepare the vegetables and other basics for cooking. You learn a thing or two just by doing the prep work" Kazuya finished his short trip down memory lane, and finished his coffee.

"When was that?" Jun asked finishing her omelette. She didn't see the change in expression, for if she had she would have apologised and changed the subject.

"It was in my teenage years, I learned some invaluable lessons" he spoke and walked to the sink with the plates.

"So when do you have to be at work?" Jun asked knowing that she shouldn't continue asking such questions.

"My day off" Kazuya spoke and saw her surprised expression "It's Saturday" Kazuya spoke and saw her expression change to a more understanding one "Besides you're not that special" he said it just to force her to change her expression, more importantly because he could afford to be mean to her. Seeing the offended expression across her face, he knew he had succeeded.

"How are you feeling now?" Kazuya asked her sitting down again, he brushed hair away from her forehead, and rested his hand on her cheek.

"Much better, not nearly as confused" she spoke a laughter escaping her lips. He stroked her chin continuously with his thumb, as if he was leading her to look at him. She finally looked up at him, he kissed her lips gently. A sense of security washed over her.

Getting up from the chair, Jun followed him when they were on their feet. Kazuya laid her down on the bed and rained kisses over her body. Jun rose from the bed to keep him at distance, his fevered kisses were overpowering her. They were too intense. She wanted to stop him, but she wanted him badly. To be lost in his arms feeling nothing else but his warmth. She had never known such a feeling, and she needed more. Kazuya pulled his t-shirt off, throwing it to the ground. A small smile spread across her lips. Kazuya couldn't explain what he did when he was with her. He couldn't have enough of her. He craved more by each day.

She met Kazuya half way not laying down on the bed again, she kissed his chest gently. Teasing him, enjoying how he was losing control. She laid him down on the bed sitting on top of him, she lifted his hands and placed them on her hips. She followed his example and threw her t-shirt to the ground. She thought she heard a small groan come deep from his throat, as he saw her naked. She felt his hands crawl up her stomach, but they stopped there. She looked at him wondering why he stopped. She looked beautiful in the sunlight, her skin was ignited. Her beautiful pale skin. Her tempting curves, she was perfection to him. He enjoyed the sight of her sitting on top of him. He pulled her down on to the bed, underneath him. He kissed her breasts lightly and saw her respond underneath him. She arched her back as she felt his touch on her body and his kisses. She wanted him badly. He forced her head sideways as he kissed her neck. He heard a small moan come from her. Then he heard the moan he had longed for, her eyes closed and her beautiful lips parted. He kissed her and felt the next moan transition from her mouth to his. Everything was right when he heard her sweet moans, and gentle fingers holding on to him.

Jun was lying quietly away from him, but not from his caresses.

"What?" Kazuya asked and caressed her arms lightly and looked at her, her mind was far away. She never turned her back to him.

"Nothing," she spoke and smiled to herself, her arms covering her breasts the covers were around her waist and continued to her feet "I was just wondering if you would stay all day?" she asked him.

"Would you like me to leave?" Kazuya asked her running his hand down her side and stopping at her waist. He turned her to face him, he wanted to see her say the words.

"No," she spoke and felt his hand move to her lower back. She knew what would happen and so it did, he pulled her closer so he could kiss her. Their lips met. Jun caressed his cheek and rested her hand on his chest.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you" he suddenly spoke in a low voice, the words slipping from his mouth. He had never before said something he didn't mean to say. Jun looked amused at him, for she knew he rarely spoke of what was on his mind. He saw her laugh a little. It was fitting for every corny situation ever imaginable.

"Kazuya Mishima, I never knew you were such a corny fool" Jun spoke with a smile on her face, Kazuya kissed her lips not letting the smile become a laughter "Maybe we're more alike than you realise" she spoke trying to explain that it wasn't a matter of deserving but of belonging.

"And how would that be?" he asked her, for he saw the differences more than anything else. He was drawn to her not for being alike, he tasted something different every time he kissed her lips. He didn't deserve her, and that was what drove him towards her. His thumb rested on her chin he pressed it down parting her lips, he kissed her, his hands making a mess of her hair as he pressed her closer. Jun broke from him to speak her mind.

"We're ruthless when it comes to our beliefs" he spoke before she had the chance, they both would do much to further their causes.

"We'll do anything to protect what we care about" Jun spoke, she knew it was true about her. She would give her life without thinking twice for the ones she loved. He would too she knew, he might be willing to do it for different reasons and for other things.

"I think you might have me mistaken with someone else," he spoke and smiled to her. Her lips gently touched his and she touched his lips with her thumb when they broke their kiss "Martial arts," Kazuya spoke suddenly, he recognised the fire in her eyes.

It was the same fire he had in his eyes, she held back that day in Yakushima. If one possessed any talent, one would easily have been able to tell that she was hiding something much greater. She was a creature from another world.

"You still haven't managed to beat me yet," she said and he saw the instant sparkle in her eyes. Rarely she would try to provoke him with her teasing, but every time she did she seemed to succeed.

"I could defeat you easily, but I'd rather see you sweating and your heart racing" he spoke and kissed her neck. He felt her nail on his back scratching him lightly. He positioned himself on his elbow, higher than her so he could gaze down on her beautiful face, as she stretched her neck to meet his eyes he ran his left hand down her neck.

"Supernatural..." he spoke suddenly observing her closely. He never said things like that, they knew but never spoke of it "I'm on to you Kazama Jun" he spoke, and kissed her panicked expression away "You're capable of far greater things, than what you are willing to tell me" he said and kissed her again. Jun grew more worried as she felt his arms tighten around her, pulling her in under him. She was always told to be careful, with whom she chose to entrust her greatest secret, and not at least herself. She couldn't escape him this time.

"I can do far more than you can imagine..." Jun spoke with a big smile, as she traced a finger down the side of his face, making fun of it to avoid the subject.

"I have no doubt..." he spoke, kissing her as his hand stroked her back gently.

"That's not what I meant," she spoke knowing where his mind was going, she felt his hand glide down to her hip. He was pulling the sheet up to caress her leg, he pressed his leg in between hers "Kazuya..." she spoke as she felt his lips on her neck, she moved her hands to his back while the other rested on his cheek.

Kazuya woke up, and looked at her. Her head resting on his chest, they had fallen asleep. He slowly slid out of bed, Kazuya saw Jun turn her back to him resting her head on a pillow. The sheets sliding down, he pulled them higher up covering her in their warmth. He walked to the bathroom, and stepped under the shower head and turned the water on. He looked around for the shampoo only to find one bottle of a bright colour it had flowers on it. He opened it and smelled to it, it was her. The flowers. He had to make do with what there was. Worst case scenario he would smell like her, and the scent would remind him of her. Kazuya stepped out and dressed in his old clothes. She was still sleeping calmly in the bed. He went to his car to retrieve some new clothes, the streets were becoming silent as the wind grew colder with time. Autumn was approaching. No one seemed to notice him. He always had an extra set of spare clothes, if they were ever needed. Today proved the thought to be right, again.

When he got up he saw her sitting on the edge of the bed stretching in the late afternoon sun. She stopped suddenly when she heard footsteps. She smiled when she saw him. She gathered the sheets around her as she stood up and walked to him. She kissed his cheek.

"Hmm" was the first thing to escape her mouth "You smell good" she continued with a smirk. He knew too well what she was talking about. He changed as she washed up. He sat in the living room with a cup of coffee on the table. Several papers in his hands. Nothing to dangerous, it wouldn't hurt him if she read them. He heard the water running in the bathroom clearly, he leaned over the couch to look into the room. He saw she hand't closed the door, she was comfortable with it open now.

The phone rang, the sound echoed through the entire house. Kazuya was sitting with a paper in his hand and the companies stock papers as well as others he had invested into. He looked at the phone as it rang again. He wondered if he should answer the phone, but he let it be not knowing if it was something she'd want. He saw her rush in, the towel tied around her body and her wet hair clinging to her neck. The towel was short and revealed some of the upper part of her pearly white thighs.

"Hello" she spoke and listened "This is her" she spoke her expression grew into one of worry "Yes, I remember" she spoke and walked into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Seeing her walk into her bedroom with the phone only reassured Kazuya that his decision was right. He continued to read his paper and the several reports lying on the table as he could hear the muffled voice, that belonged to her. He heard her pacing back and forth in her room, and talk on the phone.

It had been a half hour since she stopped talking, he couldn't hear the muffled sound of her voice anymore. He considered a long while, if he should go in to see if everything was right.

Of course Jun remembered, she had given every sample they needed to be sure of whether she was pregnant or not, and how many were named Jun Kazama in Tokyo for them to get mixed up?

"Yes, I'm still here." Jun spoke as she spoke to the doctor.

"Well, miss Kazama there is nothing else to say but congratulations you're pregnant" the doctor spoke and instantly Jun froze, pregnant? "Hello?" the doctor spoke again as he heard no response

"Yes, I'm still here" she spoke again.

"Miss Kazama, I think it would be wise for you to come by any day, so we can discuss your options and eventually set a new appointment for a check up. We have good material you can read so you can make a fully informed decision. I am not presuming anything, I want the best for all my patient, here under you included" the doctor spoke doing the best to not sound condemning of any choice.

"Yes of course, thank you doctor" she spoke before hanging up. The world seemed to stand still, while her wet hair was dripping down her neck and body.

After a long internal debate Kazuya decided to enter the room, he knocked. Listening for a no, he heard non. He entered and saw her sitting on the bed, facing the windows. She was still in her towel, her wet hair dripping on her slender shoulders. He walked to her side and sat down beside her.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, she locked her eyes with his. Hers filled with tears. She lifted her hands quickly to dry them away. Of all the days they could have called her, they chose today. He held her knowing what she needed, without needing to ask her. He had seen the tears even when she tried to dry them away. She didn't know that the clinics even called on Saturdays, it was some service. Now she knew.

She was pregnant, and the father of her child was holding her.

"It's my brother," she lied "He's ill. It was his wife calling" he didn't remember her having a brother, but she might not have told him. He remembered her profile saying a brother of blood relation.

"It isn't life threatening but he is all I have" she spoke the tears running down her cheeks. The small sobs escaped. She didn't know what to do or how to tell him. She barely knew what to think herself. She lied to him when she ought to tell him. Tell him he was a father, of an unborn child.

Jun dressed in a long and loose t-shirt that fell off one shoulder and shorts underneath. She prepared something she had learned a long time ago, by her mother. They sat quietly and had their dinner. Kazuya's hand would squeeze hers when she drifted away. She hoped that he truly believed the cause to her worry was her brother, anything else would break her today. She had to think of how to tell him, they had never talked about children.

They had never talked about a future.

She didn't know if they shared one, she didn't know if there was room for her in his future. They had always contrasted, she thought she could redeem him to be the man she knew he could be and he once was. There in lay the dilemma, she couldn't change him forcefully. She could show him what he was capable of but it had to be himself, and she feared that it would never be. For he was who he was and he didn't regret any action taken to get him to where he was today.

Was there redemption for a man that didn't believe in redemption, and what was more important for a man who didn't want it?

Kazuya slept soundly, one arm placed over her waist he held her close. Her back was turned to him, Jun lay awake in the moonlight. She felt his chest rise and fall as it gently touched her back. She felt him move and he lightly touched her stomach. Her body twitched, his unconscious self felt it and kissed her hair lightly as he loosened his arm around her. She turned in his arm, searching for his warmth. She lay close to him when she felt his hand on her lower back. She closed her eyes. Trying to forget just for one night.

**...**

Jun woke early the next morning. She had barely slept three hours. She hated what she had become, she never liked to lie. She didn't want to deceive him, now she didn't know herself anymore. She should have known better than to approach him.

She stood up from the bed, making her way to the bathroom, she splashed water in her face and readied herself, pulling a loose sweatshirt on and trousers she got her shoes on. She hand't been out running for a while, she needed it to clear her mind.

Jun saw the streets deserted, the shops were opening and people were gathering in the coffee shops. Jun kept running keeping her head clear, when she saw a mother and a child. What life would she give her child? What could they give their child? She didn't want an innocent soul to be born into hatred. She couldn't hide the child from him and she wouldn't run with his child. He had to know from her soon, before he found out from some source of his. She stopped at a corner waiting for the light to go green. She was breathless, breathing heavily for some air. A child, her child.

Jun walked into the apartment with fresh bread from the baker and the newspaper. She couldn't see him, maybe he had left. Then she heard the water running. She cut the bread and heated water for some coffee and tea, as she placed toppings on a plate. She placed it all on the table in the living room. She pulled the curtains aside it was one of those mornings where the sun rays flowed in, warming the room with its yellow glow. She walked to the kitchen again, for the tea and coffee. Poured it up and placed it on the table, she took her sweatshirt off and moved to her bedroom to throw it in a basket, her pants quickly followed. She took a loose t-shirt out to wear, with a bold statement on it. With it lying on the bed in front of her she discarded her training bra, she picked the t-shirt up when she felt a hand on her back. He turned her so she faced him.

"You look radiant this morning," he spoke and kissed her lips, her hands between them. She smiled when they parted.

"You always know the right thing to say," she spoke as she dressed in front of him, pulling the hairband out of her hair she rubbed her scalp lightly loosening the hair to fall gently over her shoulders.

"That's one thing you've never done" Kazuya said looking at her, as he dried his hair.

"What?" she asked confused, she felt tired after the long run more than usual.

"Dressed in front of me" he spoke and approached her. He laid his hands on her hips and pulled her in, he kissed her and they parted.

"That's because you're always busy undressing me" she spoke with a teasing smile "I'll wash up," she spoke and left him.

Jun closed the bathroom door behind her and locked it, she stood in front of the mirror looking at herself. What was she doing? The child. She had to tell him. Jun stepped in the shower and felt the warm water run down her body, her body relaxing instantly. She had lit a candle. Some sort of flower aroma, it was nothing like the real flowers but she could survive with it. She sat down on the floor letting the water hit her back, she washed her hair with shampoo removing her hair from her face. She sat still waiting for it to be washed out. Her skin was becoming soft, by staying too long under the shower.

What world would their child be born into? Jun thought, it would be born into a world of pain and hatred. Hunted because of its blood, who would trust a child with the name Mishima?

She washed her body slowly, as if it gave her too much pain to touch her own skin. It felt like it was burning. Jun stepped out as the last water ran down her body, she turned the water off and watched the water rays become weak. Jun stood still as she felt the water dry on her body. She touched her stomach, how quickly would her body change?

Jun felt her stomach turn, the nausea was creeping back up. Jun closed her eyes and started counting. She felt her nerves relax, but the nausea came back stronger she barely lifted the toilet lid before she threw up. She heard a knock on the door.

"Jun are you okay?" she heard his voice followed by another knock "You've been in there for a while now" he said loudly. She raised her head to answer him but felt the nausea overcome her, she remembered the door being locked. She turned her head down again to throw up "Jun why aren't you answering?" he spoke, she felt her nerves rise in her body as she heard the handle turn. Kazuya pushed the door but it was locked. Why would she lock the door today when it was open yesterday, were the only thoughts in his mind. Kazuya grew more worried, he knocked harder than before and spoke louder "Jun, why did you lock the door?" she heard him knock harder and harder on the door, she flushed the toilet, keeping her hand on the handle she turned it three times desperately hoping for it all to disappear "Jun, Jun" his voice was becoming more demanding by the second, as his knocks became poundings. Why she wasn't answering him, where his only thoughts. More gruesome scenarios entered Kazuya's mind. He didn't know if he felt relief or horror the most.

She saw the clean water fill the toilet and relief rushed over her. She stood up and tied a towel around her naked body, and made her way to the door. She felt her weak legs shake under her. She forced herself to walk to the door, making her legs abide her. She laid her hand on the handle "Jun, Jun why aren't you answering" he yelled, Jun felt the whole door shake as he pounded it again. Kazuya saw the door handle turn slowly and the door opened.

"Jun, are you feeling all right?" he asked her, she looked much paler than ever before. Jun laid a hand on his arm, calming him. Kazuya laid his hands on her arms as his eyes pierced her. He was holding her up on her feet, unknowingly.

"I'm fine, I just drifted away" she spoke knowing he would believe her, as they both had that habit and her 'sick' brother supported her lie.

"Just answer me next time," he asked her for a simple thing. He kissed her wet hair "The tea got cold so I made you a new pot, you might need all of it" he said and went to the living room. Jun breathed heavily in, she hand't known that she was holding her breath, she walked over to her dresser and pulled a long dress out and a long cardigan. Dressing herself she realised the candle was still lit in the bathroom. She thanked her bad habit, if it wasn't for it, he would have known more than she wanted him too. She had to go to the doctor tomorrow.

Breakfast passed by slowly and peacefully with the accompaniment of the street noise, it was still early in the morning. She drank mostly tea, as some aroma from the food on the table was nauseating to her suddenly. Her tea was the only thing soothing her nerves. She watched Kazuya peel an orange, he did it carefully not bruising the orange too much. He treated it delicately. He made halves of it and offered some to Jun.

"No thanks," she spoke gently, she usually had oranges what was different today? Kazuya made quiet observations. Her legs were curled up on the couch, her short hair almost reaching her shoulders. She always seemed to peer to some point off in the distance, she was never there even if she sat next to him.

"I've been thinking Kazuya," she spoke suddenly as he took a bite from the orange. He knew nothing good could come from that sentence "About Yakushima..." she continued as she poured more tea for herself.

"Maybe you should visit your brother," Kazuya suggested and took another bite of the orange "it would probably soothe you" he spoke, finally getting eye contact with her.

"That wasn't what I meant, Kazuya" she spoke again, she felt her throat become dry "I've been thinking about Tokyo and Yakushima, mostly Yakushima" she spoke trying to find the words "I don't know if I want to stay in Tokyo anymore" she confessed to him finally.

"What about your job?" Kazuya asked her, he knew from experience that she was very passionate about her work.

"I can find another," she spoke, interested by his concern for her potentially leaving "Besides, I have an inheritance, and a saving I could live of for a while until I found another job" she spoke and observed him, as she took another sip of her tea.

"You've thought this through," he started "If that's how you feel" he spoke, there wasn't much Kazuya could do. If she wanted to move it was her decision. Jun left the table with things in her hand. She started washing the dishes and placing things where they belonged. How could he just say such things, wouldn't he try to stop her from leaving? She remembered the first time, he hand't tried to stop her but he hadn't known then. She looked back at him.

How could she just leave him? He should have known it would end in such a way, he had only deluded himself into thinking that he deserved her, of course they should go their own ways. She would be safe and could live a happy life.

She deserved it. He wasn't so greedy that he would keep her from her own happiness.

Kazuya walked to the bathroom to clean his hands and continued to work by her desk.

He watched her all day, she was behaving oddly. He asked her to sit with him, he held her in his arms. Lying down on the couch he caressed her cheek and it only lasted ten minutes, till she thought he had drifted away. She walked around the house all day. Who knew what she was thinking about? She had laundered everything in her house. Cleaning every bit of the house and organising her paperwork. He observed her from her desk in the living room. Where he sat with his papers, she thought he didn't watch her as she moved through the apartment in a ghostlike manner. If she had looked his way just once, she would have known that his eyes were on her rather than on his paper. She gave him coffee and fruit, occasionally she would run her hand though his hair guiding his head up and kiss him. The whole day had seemed to pass in such odd manners. Sometimes it would seem like she avoided him, and then she would prove him wrong. She kissed and stroked him, it was as if she knew what he was thinking. Then she would seem like she was grieving again. He saw her take the phone and close the bedroom door after her. He suspected that she would call to talk to her brother.

Would a life with her be like this, everyday?

He had listened to the silence for a long while now, and she had been closed off in her room for even longer. He looked at his watch, it was about seven and he had first now noticed his own hunger. Had she fallen asleep? He walked to the bedroom door and opened it. She was lying on the bed as the weak light flooded her form. Kazuya laid down next to her, and as he suspected she was staring out the windows. He laid an arm around her waist, a discrete jolt went through Jun's body and she hoped that he hand't noticed.

"Do you really want to leave?" he asked her, barely whispering it in her ear.

"I don't know yet, but I feel a need to be in Yakushima" she spoke thinking carefully how to best express her feelings "I don't like being here, I miss the woods, the lake, creaking of the old house and the scent of flowers" she spoke as she turned in his arms, Jun rested on her left side as she looked at his softly lit face. He intwined his fingers with hers, his left hand and her right. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

"You don't belong in a city like this" he spoke to her, as he looked into her eyes.

"But I don't want to leave you..." Jun suddenly spoke touching his cheek, gently. The light bounced of her dark hair, giving it another worldly look. Her gentle touches gave her the character of a celestial beauty.

"And I can't go with you" he spoke, they both knew it was true "But nothing is certain and we don't have to decide now," he reminded her. Much of the time she was too grave, even if she was of a happier nature she thought too much at times "as in right now I'm just hungry" he said as his hand made its way over her waist reaching for the phone. He saw a smile form on her lips, as she laughed at his last words, but they both knew if not now they would have to decide some time. He took the phone as she watched him, he saw the previous number dialled.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, getting a little nervous but not letting it show.

"I'm calling for food" he spoke as he only lay inches away from her, and dialled the number as she looked at him "Good evening, you're speaking to Kazuya Mishima and I would like to order food for two" he spoke looking straight at her, Jun smiled when she heard him use his name for such a trivial thing as ordering food.

"Good evening Mr. Mishima, what would you like to order this evening" Jun heard the other man speak, it would seem that he was a loyal customer. Kazuya's words blurred as she watched him order, the way he smiled when he looked down at her. She moved closer to him, her head resting on his arm. He placed the phone behind his back, without her noticing, until he gently touched her forehead and ran his fingers over her hair touching it lightly. He kissed her, as she smiled gently to him.

"The food will be here in ten to fifteen minutes" he spoke softly, she smiled to him "Are you feeling better now?" he asked her, the worry carried over from his thought to his voice. All day she had been wandering around the house, but the last couple of hours she had locked herself away in her bedroom.

"I will," she spoke at first "soon I hope" she kissed his hand holding it with both hers. She stopped the tears from coming to her eyes. He knew there were many things she didn't tell him about.

They had the dinner in bed, he brought it too her. The best of traditional Japanese cuisine. Kazuya disappeared for some time and returned with a bowls of strawberries, mangoes and papaya neatly cut into smaller pieces. Jun looked at him puzzled, as she often did, puzzled by what he did. The smallest of actions showed her that he was much more, than what he pretended to be. She knew Kazuya could be just as kind and loving, as she was daily told he was cruel and heartless. Sometimes she thought he had more heart than anything else, and he was much like that young boy today. He might never have changed, he just had this anger that overpowered everything else he could be.

He watched her eat, for some reason she seemed more weakened than he had seen her before. Her skin paler, her eyes more fleeting and her mind graver than ever before. He watched her eat, and it seemed she regained her strength with every bite. He could't explain, nor did he think he ever would be able to explain why he felt so chained to her being.

"Kazuya" Jun spoke, as she sat down next to him on the couch, he was watching the last of the news.

"hmm" Kazuya murmured absentmindedly, as he laid a hand on her knee letting her know that he had heard her.

"I read about the match tomorrow," Jun spoke worried, she had seen the paper yesterday but had said nothing "It's your father and your brother..." she said nervously, she didn't understand his family. They were all so troubled, and they only seemed to become more eager to fight one and other.

"Yes, it is" Kazuya said, leaning back on the couch he turned the T.V off knowing what conversation would follow "All that time, and I had thought he was dead" he spoke with frustration, as the peace had been snapped from him, when he learned he was alive. He regretted one thing only that he hand't killed him the first time, he wouldn't make that mistake again.

"Will you attend?" Jun spoke "The match that is" she watched for his reaction anxiously.

"Of course, there is no better way to prepare than to observe your foe in battle" Kazuya spoke his thoughts without any remorse.

"What will you do?" she asked him. Jun could only fear what would come from this damned tournament of theirs, only more hatred could be born. It would never be a solution, it would only tear people more apart.

"I'll perform my best, and defeat who ever makes it to the final" Kazuya spoke as if it was a standard action, as if it was as ordinary and daily thing for him like breathing was for others.

"Doesn't it bother you?" she asked him, trying to inflict some compassion. She found out in a young age, that the right questions could wake emotions in people they never knew they possessed.

"They are both dead to me, as far as family relations go, but Jun tell me what is this really about?" he asked her as he searched her eyes. Since they had become intimate, she had never asked him about the tournament. She only tried to rescue him from damnation.

"I'm worried, naturally..." she spoke insecurely "Of what will come from the end of this tournament" Jun completed her thought.

"I don't see anything unnatural in it" Kazuya let her know frankly, her worries for him were becoming nothing more than irritations and an unnecessary obstacle.

"Kazuya, you speak of your family, your own blood with despise. Doesn't it worry you? All this hatred it cannot come from good or do you any good" she said placing her hand on his leg.

"You know what this tournament is about? Did you even know before you decided to participate" Kazuya spoke angry "I think you do know, I can see it in your eyes. Everyone comes with a purpose, maybe not as noble as yours. It's about power, control and the money. Don't even think for a moment that, that adopted brother of mine participated to protect his brother. He has his own interests, do you know how long he has wanted the corporation? If my father had his way, I would have been lying dead in a gutter somewhere, and he would parade that fool around as if he were the heir. Lee doesn't have the guts to rebel against my father, therefore he kept him close. With this tournament he saw an opportunity to take from us, what is family inheritance. Built by the Mishima blood and sweat, not Chaolong" he spoke and paused he could feel his hatred for his family warm his cold heart "As for my father, he doesn't know mercy, compassion or possess any humanity. He is cruel and evil. He had his father murdered, so he could take the corporation from him for he had other aspirations. He fathered me into his world of evil and malice. I have known no other world, I don't think he has come to seek my forgiveness or redemption to ease his own soul. He has come to finish what he started so many years ago. To kill me" Kazuya said with anger "So no, forgive me if my lack of compassion is against your liking, but I will not endure my father. I will kill him" Kazuya finished with more anger than he could possibly contain. He rose from the couch moving away from her, continuously she wanted the same from him. Every time he had proven her wrong on the subject but she would never stop.

"Is all your life hatred? Is that what defines you? It makes you so blind, blind to see what you have" Jun spoke worried not only for him and herself, but for their child "You are much more than the hatred, you are more now than the boy who was scared and had been betrayed by his father" Jun spoke and followed his steps, she placed a hand on his arm and the other on his cheek "You have so much in life, how could you possibly want more?" she asked him.

He knew the true question she was asking him, how could he want more than her and what he already had accomplished. She could not give birth to a child, knowing that it would have to endure such a cruel world. Then she would rather not bear it, Jun took her thoughts back immediately. How could she think in such a way of her child? It was an innocent soul.

She was determined, it wouldn't carry the cross of its father. It would be far away in a world where they couldn't touch it. Jun knew in that moment what was necessary for her to do, for her child, their child. Kazuya removed her hands from his cheek and arm, and she watched him walk out on the balcony, breathing the still colder air. She heard his phone ringing.

"Hello brother" Kazuya heard Lee speak over the phone.

"What do you want?" he spoke, the anger transferred perfectly from receiver to speaker.

"Well, what a foul mood we are in. Maybe I should call later about our father" he spoke with spite.

"Tell me," Kazuya spoke as he glided the balcony door shut, and Lee knew not to test him any further.

She watched Kazuya as he suddenly looked at her, she knew he would confront her about something. He had that angered look in his eyes, the same he had when they had discussed his father. She saw him pace some more as he spoke, his anger rising. He hung up the phone and placed it in his pocket, but didn't come back in he stayed out. She watched him for ten minutes, she sat down on the couch and watched him for further twenty minutes. He had paced some of the time but most of it had been spent staring into emptiness. Another thirty minutes passed before he finally entered the living room again.

"So when where you going to tell me my father visited you?" Kazuya spoke, as he had entered the living room again.

"It had nothing to do with you" Jun spoke, trying to sound reassuring "But I'm glad you know" she saw his body become tense.

"Of course I know, it has everything to do with me" he spoke angered "You don't know anything about him, so don't delude yourself into thinking that you can redeem him too!" Kazuya's anger built in him. How much had she lied to him? Had she been the adversary of his father from the beginning, fucking him at his will, screwing with his mind at his will? Was he nothing but a puppet to everyone, to be used at will?

"Kazuya, please calm down, I know you hate him but he did me no harm, and it had nothing to do with you. He asked me nothing about you. If he did I would have told him nothing" Jun repeated herself, as she watched him pace back and forth. She could feel the creatures presence grow, it was whispering in his ear.

"What the fuck, Jun?" Kazuya asked her confused "Do you have any conceivable idea of how dangerous he is? Of course you don't, but if you have your own survival in your interest it would be best to tell me of such visits. He is a reckless man who doesn't have any regards or scruples, when it comes to me!" Kazuya's anger was rising, he saw her flinch. Jun moved further back into the couch, he had never seen her scared of him "He'll do anything to hurt me in anyway. You should be aware of that, without having anyone tell you!" Kazuya sat down on the couch his hand forming a fist, and then loosing up all the time.

He tried to tell her indirectly, that he wouldn't think twice to spare her for just being a woman. She would die because, he had loved her. He stood up again and started pacing back and forth.

"Are you in his fold now? Keeping an eye on me, fucking me at his will and searching for the moment to strike? To bleed me to death" he asked her, as he leaned in over her form as his anger rose by the thought of betrayal. Jun slapped him hard, no one had talked to her in such a way before and she would not hear it from him. Kazuya walked back, he could feel her anger. She hand't betrayed him, she was still his.

"Is that what you think of me? A common whore for hire!" Jun spat a him, such words parting from her beautiful lips made him cringe "I would never betray anyone like that" her anger had risen to unknown heights, she had never felt such rage and disgust for the man she loved. She saw him sit down in one of the chairs, despair and confusion taking over.

"What did he want?" he finally asked her.

"Nothing" she spoke looking up at him "He came to speak, not to have a conversation" Jun told him truthfully.

"Did you believe, what he told you?" he asked her, for what other reason could there be for her not to tell about his visit.

"If you have such little faith in my, why do you even bother to ask me these questions?" she asked him, the questioning seemed to be needless. He would not trust a word of hers, thinking his father was involved somehow. Jun noted to herself that she avoided his question, she didn't know the reason for this.

"I'm asking because I care about you, I need to know what he is thinking what he's planning to do next" Kazuya spoke with anger, he knew he wanted the corporation back "If I don't know..." Kazuya couldn't speak anymore, he was too busy thinking of the multiple ways his father could gain advantage from his private meeting with her. Frustrated she sat down in the chair, opposite her.

His father was much too clever to think he could achieve it simply, he must've had deployed some larger scheme only he couldn't see it.

"It will never stop will it?" Jun asked him, as she saw him become absorbed by the hate and the power game they played. The desperation to keep what was his. She knew even though he had expressed his concern for her, his father took the prize of his attention and care.

"He was the one who was bent on destroying his child, I'll end it by any means possible" Kazuya spoke, letting her know he wouldn't allow anything to stand in his way to defeating his father.

"What exactly are those means? Can't you see what he has done to you?" Jun spoke as she approached him, she sat down on her knees to meet with his eyes "You've forgotten who you are, you're torn between the two" Jun spoke not wanting to say any of their names, he knew what she meant she would never mention the creature or the hatred that was his life "during this fight you lost your greatest advantage, your humanity" she spoke, it hurt her finally saying what she had known for long.

"He had nothing to tell you?" Kazuya asked her another time, she saw his expression change "I think it would be best if we didn't see each other for a while" Kazuya spoke, there was only silence to answer him, and so silently they had agreed to part again. Who knew for how long this time. He rose from the chair and looked at her again. Jun turned her face away from his, Kazuya wouldn't sacrifice all he had attained from his hard strides. He made his way out of the apartment, Jun heard the door close.

They were torn apart by each other, they felt each others passion but they denied themselves what they had longed for the most. Jun had known for far too long, that the fight for domination with his father was what mattered the most to him. No matter the amount of care he had showed her only moments ago. She didn't know anymore, she felt numb as she had watched him leave.

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	21. Chapter 20 Breakthrough part 2

**Author's note**

The 20th chapter has developed from three parts to four parts.

I would like to thank **AniDanDav**,** Annabeth29** & **ObviouslyTima **for the kind reviews, I can't express enough how wonderful it feels that you guys notice details, or that you express that you liked the chapter and want more.

Nothing feels more rewarding!

So I would encourage people to leave a review, it's good to hear from you guys and knowing if you like the way the story is developing and if you're satisfied. Knowing that people are reading and interested in further development, keeps me going.

Writing the story is not only a creative outlet, as it was in the beginning but writing for the readers becomes fuel!

Constructive critism is always welcome! Believe it or not it does affect the writing.

**Read & Review  
**Best wishes ascho

**Chapter 20 - Breakthrough part 2**

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Kazuya watched them both enter the stage, his father looked like himself. He didn't look like he had aged a day. Heihachi searched the crowd for his only son. Kazuya felt his eyes upon him. He had never known colder eyes than his fathers.

Lee never had a chance against their father. He had some skill, but what he lacked was the malice and hate that only the Mishima's possessed. He wasn't of their blood, so he would never understand such things, or be able to do such evil as they were. Kazuya didn't feel pity for Lee. If he were Lee, he would have turned his back to the Mishima's and made his fortune elsewhere. Kazuya reconsidered his thoughts, he wouldn't want to trade shoes with Lee, for there were many things he was capable of doing from the position that he possessed. Kazuya didn't know what sort of life he would have had without. Having the infinite possibilities to choose from, he often heard what people would do if they had more money. He found himself lacking the ability to imagine scenarios containing freedom, as Kazuya heard the bell ring he was torn from a fantasy barely begun to the blood in the arena.

Jun paced back and forth in her apartment. She had visited the doctor, and gotten the standard vitamins and at least a million of brochures about pregnancy. She had even bought a book about pregnancy, describing the whole nine months and what to expect after birth, she had also bought the following book about children and the different stages they went through and how their bodies and mind evolved. It of course had a section dedicated to good advice. For some reason she had started at the end of the second book and read it backwards. Chapter by chapter.

He hand't come back that night.

It was the day of the match and she could do nothing but wait. She didn't want to see it or have any part of it. It was a cruel way to start a new week.

Kazuya walked into the closed ward, he had acquired a bed for him in a private hospital. No one was to see him or get to him. It was closed off for him. They thought it was from love, that Lee was his foster brother and they had been together since childhood. That he treated him like he would a real brother, for there was brotherly love between them. They knew nothing of the hatred and the pain of their childhood, inflicted by no other than their own father. The same hatred that made Kazuya keep his brother from his foster father.

The one man, who was supposed to protect them against harm. Gave them nothing but pain.

Kazuya sat down on a chair in his room, waiting for him to wake up. He stared out of the windows and drank three cups of coffee, while waiting. Somehow the coffee seemed different from usual, it tasted odd. He remembered the many last times she had made him his coffee. He looked at Lee as he heard him move.

"He said he spared me, that he would forgive me for what I've done." Lee spoke taking a pause to breathe unwillingly a smile spread across his lips. He knew why Kazuya was there, there was no reason for delaying it. He had spared him, the thought alone made him angry, the few words he spoke hurt him to speak "He said he didn't expect anything else from brothers, that he was glad to see us act as such for once, even if we united against him. He made a point of the fact that it wouldn't keep me safe. I had played my cards wrong." Lee spoke pausing again "My cards are wrong, no matter what I do..." Lee began to talk to himself, forgetting his brothers presence in the room.

"Did he try to approach you before the scheduled match?" Kazuya asked him knowing better now, Heihachi had talked to Jun what should stop him from approaching his adoptive son. Of course he would keep it hidden from him, that would be if it was a lucrative deal for him.

"No," Lee spoke, as his mind started to search for a reason, why had he approached her but not him. He was probably done with him now "I'm of no value to your father now, even she seems to have greater value than I do" he spoke and coughed "But do tell me, how is she doing after meeting her future father in law?" Lee spoke, even when hurting he could not stop himself from prying, to know what threat she was to their father "Did she survive?" Lee watched Kazuya closely as he leaned back in the chair not answering him "Fine, she won't stick around for long" he said in spite, as his brother denied to play along.

Lee didn't understand, how a girl like Jun Kazama would want anything to do with a person like his brother. He went to her apartment on regular basis, and he had traveled outside of Tokyo just because of her. It didn't take a genius to track his activity or to determine his next action, it certainly wouldn't take long for his adoptive father to see this change in his blood son. He had become inconsiderate to his actions, which was a change for his brother as he never did anything without thinking twice about it, and he was predictable around her. Jun had changed him, maybe to Kazuya's disadvantage, Lee was amused by the simple solution on hand all these years. All he should have done all those years ago was to send a girl his way, to sway him to better thoughts.

"I didn't come to talk about business" Kazuya told him coldly, not admitting his past shared intimacy with her.

"You sure as hell didn't come to talk about my health" Lee spoke, irritated by the little amusement Kazuya provided.

"Did he leave a message for me?" Kazuya asked him, interested in obtaining any information possible.

"Does he ever tell what he wants, besides you should know what he wants from you brother" Lee said with despise "I would be careful of him, he seems different now but on the other side so do you" Lee spoke again remarking on his affair "You've started to go on business trips very often now, followed by a day off or late arrival" Lee spoke and saw the change of expression in Kazuya, he had straightened his back and was looking at him "If I didn't know you better I would say you were slacking" Lee was suffering because of their twisted mind games, and he was dumb enough to play a pawn in their game. He just might as well have some fun, Lee thought to himself.

"If I were you, I would tend to my own survival, before bestowing such care and worry on others" Kazuya spoke placing a hand on his leg cast. Kazuya stood up having decided to leave, for Lee couldn't give him any more answers.

"Why are you so sensitive about her?" Lee spoke stopping himself, he had never before commented or cared about any of his activities. Today he couldn't stop himself "What is so special about her?" he asked and saw Kazuya stop in his steps.

Jun affected him more than Kazuya himself had realised, Lee thought. He had always thought that the Kazuya Mishima he knew, was incapable of being affected by a woman. Especially such a woman as Jun, or the answer could very simply be that the sex was great.

"Don't strive too high" Kazuya spoke lightly, while applying pressure on his broken leg he saw his expression change to one of pain. Satisfied with the reaction Kazuya left his brothers side. Lee knew what Kazuya had implied, father and son weren't blind to his aspirations. Lee realised in that moment, that no matter who would win the match he was done with the Mishima's.

Kazuya drove back to the Mishima compound, he had observed his father in battle like he had many times before. Lee was right, there was something different in his combat and tactics. He had to prepare himself for the match.

The time had come, this would be the last time he would face him and he would be done with him. He could live his life free of the fear and hate that his presence meant to him. He had often wondered who he would be if he wasn't alive?

Kazuya entered the great hall, upon entering he heard the empty echoes travel through the house. He walked down the darkest corridor to the room at the end of the hall, he remembered hating the halls as a child. They were dark and never ending, there was no hope. Somehow the light never penetrated through the curtains, it had now become his only solace. He carried the same file in his hand. He placed it on a dusty table and inserted the disc into the computer, it projected the video to the big screen. He had chosen himself, to set the state of art equipment that was worth a quarter of the compound in the dusty old room.

He had never had it cleaned, the old white sheets still protecting the old furniture. He never felt that the house belonged to him, not as a child and not now. He aired the room at times. It took the worst of the dust he thought. He sat down with a drink in his hand, and watched the projection of his father and all his matches. The computer was running speed and strength estimations as he stared at the screen.

Would he be the same man? Would he be driven towards the same goals as now? He had always strived towards controlling the family enterprise, because it was his right, but mostly because it would hurt his father if it got taken away. It was the ultimate revenge next to killing him, for what he had done to him so long ago. Many of the decisions he took were because of the hatred he had for his father.

Kazuya twirled the liquid around in the glass as he continued to stare at his fathers image, how he had broken every move Lee made, countered every move with ease. They were opposing styles, Lee was quick and needed more strikes to have the same affect as the Mishima style. The Mishima style was different, they were grounded and hit hard. How would his father fight against one of same style? Kazuya had developed his style, he knew it was necessary. He needed his own ground, from which he could beat his own father. He discovered it at a young age, from that day he started to change.

Kazuya took everything from him, he made it his own. All the while he never knew if it was what he wanted. All he knew was that the company was his fathers Achilles heel. Was he even a person without his father being the defining object of his life?

What would he be without him?

Kazuya swallowed the drink and looked at the empty glass, as it reflected the scarce light that penetrated through the curtain.

_'Aren't the preparations late?'_ its voice asked him '_Do you even stand a chance? It looks like he is in the best shape of his life, and he has vengeance blazing in his eyes'_ it had always questioned him _'I remember how that same lust for vengeance made your eyes flicker, like flames licking a house'_ the only way for it to control him.

"What do you want from me?" Kazuya asked, as he stared at the projection of his father.

'_Simply the best... How could you ever doubt me?'_ it whispered _'It's good to see that you are still able to think about other things than just that woman and the smell of her hair, the feel of her skin and her warmth...'_ it taunted him like it always had, with everything he never could have. It promised him much more and better than just a beating human heart. It knew already that vengeance wasn't the only thing he desired the most, she had quickly surpassed that single ambition.

That promise wasn't enough to keep control, he had to give him more, again. Kazuya was a man of his liking. A cold hearted man of ambition always rising to new heights, and easy to control by his desires.

If it couldn't have him it could always take the child. Its own survival had become a thing of reality. The time when it chose Kazuya, it had been because he was of the right making; young, foolish, eager and so vengeful in such a tender age. It only became better with the years and its grasp became tighter, but now it would seem that it was being replaced. All done by the girl.

_'You were made for greater things, you alone will change the face of the earth'_ it spoke of its promises now _'You alone shaping the course of the world, then you'll have everything. You could even have her...'_ its voice faded. Kazuya was left only more entranced than before, he could have everything.

Even her.

Jun had heard about the match in the evening news, his own adoptive father had beaten him senseless. The only other information available to the public, was that he had been hospitalised in a private hospital paid by his own brother. The next match would be two weeks later, she guessed it was for a dramatic affect.

She looked at all the brown boxes in the living room. Some filled with things, others gaping open begging for something to be put in them. One third of the apartment she had packed already, she didn't know how it was possible. She always heard others say how difficult it was to pack their apartments and their lives, she imagined that she lived a Spartan life compared to them.

There was no reason to wait, she should continue packing. Somewhere down the line, she imagined she had to get an office appointment to tell him in some odd professional manner that she was pregnant. She rolled her eyes at a scenario that stupid. She had to call him soon to talk to him one last time. She would tell him, and she would see where it went from there. Her thoughts wandered, it was the most dangerous timing. She didn't know what he would say, or feel.

They had never discussed their future, they both knew it wasn't an option. For none of them. Jun threw some pillows and other things lying in the living room into one box, distracting her mind.

**A week later**

_Kazuya was walking in the same desolate place that he had grown up in, it was just as bleak and cold as it ever had been. He walked up to the steps of the great house. He was told that it was the house of the Mishima's as a young child, every Mishima had lived in it._

_It was damned, cursed._

_It was power and respect. It was honour. Their family legacy. Who was he to deny it?_

_He had always had a hard time believing that his father ever was a content man, even with his mother by his side. How could a cold bastard like him ever be content?_

_Kazuya stepped into his childhood home, his present prison. He walked into his fathers office. He picked up a random book of his, of course it was about tactics and accounts of different actions his father had taken in hopes of dominating the markets. He saw a whiskey bottle, in the same spot as it always had been. The same expensive bottle that he would toast on with partners, if there was something to celebrate. He looked at his chair as he saw it move, he froze on the spot he stood. He felt his own fist clench as he expected to see his father sitting in his chair. The chair turned but was empty. When had it become his own dream to rule the world?_

_He so badly wanted to hurt him, he would take from him what he desired the most strip him of everything. Take his life. It was in his power to do so. He threw the whisky bottle into the fireplace and saw the flames lick their way up the bricks._

_Kazuya continued to walk, and walked into the private gym. He remembered the many hours his father had tortured him in these very rooms. Making him stronger, moulding an obedient boy. Disappointed he brought home a new son, a new protege. Someone who would obey. Someone who wasn't of the same blood, one who wouldn't fall to the same greed, someone who would not fall to the same curse. Someone who didn't have the ambition, someone who would obey. The same curse his father had suffered and his grandfather had paid the price, with his life._

_He saw the family portraits of several generations hanging on the walls. The first smaller than the others. They only got bigger, they all had something to prove and even with portraits they competed. Surpassing each other with each generation. He saw his mothers smile emerge from the wall. Her soft features seemed strange and distant to him. How could she have gotten caught in the dirty business of the Mishima's? Her lips smiled but there was no happiness in her eyes._

_He had shattered her life, just as his father had shattered his mothers. None of the women on the portraits were happy. They all had the same smile painted on their faces, as if they had studied the same smile and applied it to themselves._

_Had any woman ever been happy with a Mishima? Why had they stayed if they weren't happy?_

_He walked upstairs to his parents bedroom, and as he opened the door he found his mothers perfume overwhelming. He was told that it was her perfume, but for all he knew it could be one of his mistresses preferred perfume. It was just a big joke, he saw women beneath him, a man was weak if he chose to confide in a woman or even love one. Yet he didn't mind having them entertain him._

_He took a picture frame up, from what he suspected to be his mothers table. It had small perfume bottles all with different handles and forms even the liquids retained their pale colours, he wondered if his father ever had given one of them as a present to her. Make up in dated, intricate and beautiful containers. They looked appropriate for his mother, he imagined what little he could from what he was told about her by the maids, the steward and the housekeeper. They all praised her with kind words, and pained looks from being reminded of her. He took another picture frame up from the table, it looked as if they once had been happy._

_He found it hard to believe._

_People didn't change overnight, they didn't become hateful and vengeful. His father must have been who he was from the start. Always wanting what wasn't his, wanting the power that wasn't his but his fathers. Wanting the money that wasn't his._

_His father wanted what he desired, he could never know if his father had stolen his mother from her own happiness._

_He walked down the corridor hoping to find her lying in his bed. He heard a moan coming from his room, as he opened the doors and froze when the sight met him. He saw the demon he had sold his soul to, feeding off a human. It held someone in its arms, biting, sucking and chewing from it. Drinking the blood. Blood was life and soul. It dropped the person, and Kazuya saw the light shed all shadows away from her face. It hand't only been drinking blood, there was a hole where her heart should have been. The demon cleaned his chin from the blood, it had on his face. Kazuya saw his own face turn up and look straight at him._

_"Kazuya..." it spoke in its hoarse voice, as if they were old business associates and it was subletting in his body. He had never seen it feed off of others. He was looking at himself licking the blood of her cheek._

_"What are you doing!" Kazuya spoke out loud as he saw her bleed, her eyes blank and lifeless yet they were watching him closely. He could see Jun's lips move trying to form words."What have you done?" Kazuya asked the demon, harbouring within the empty shell that was his body._

_"What you are hesitating to do" it spoke calmly as it caressed her cheek "You are too busy fucking her, that you forget your aims" it spoke and licked her neck for her sweet blood. Kazuya felt his fist clench when she was spoken about in such a way._

_"Have you forgotten your dreams? What you have achieved so far?" it spoke again with its damned tongue. Kazuya walked to Jun's side when he saw the demon move away. He cradled her in his arms. Trying to stop her bleeding from her neck, and the big black hole where her heart should have been with his hand._

_"Are you going to be a fool like your father waiting for your son to overthrow you?" it asked him and bent down beside her limb body opposite to Kazuya, it looked up at him._

_"What son?" Kazuya spoke outraged, he was no father._

_"She didn't tell you?" it spoke as it brushed hair away from her eyes, Kazuya saw a smile form on its lips, it was a devious smile "Do it, do it now. Before the child is born" it spoke to him again._

_Kazuya looked at her, she tried to form words with her lips but had no strength, she grew colder and paler than ever before._

_"Do it Kazuya!" it commanded him "You know you want to!" it whispered in the cold air "You've been obsessing about it since you met her. How it would feel. Not to hold back. To surrender to your darkest desires. Now is the time" it uttered the darkest thoughts he had, his fears. His thoughts of crushing her spirit, completely._

_Ruining her in every thinkable manner. Transforming her to someone she wasn't. Taking her life, slowly. Kazuya looked at her blood flowing through his fingers, he couldn't stop the bleeding. The blood was so warm, oddly it felt like being near her again. He licked her blood from his hand, he savoured her taste. The demon smiled triumphantly as he saw Kazuya lick her blood._

_"You will be the death of her..." it spoke "You are destined for far greater things" it said and rested his hands on his shoulders. He took Kazuya's hand and handed him her bloodied heart. There was rage in his eyes for a split second, he had been deceived from the very beginning._

_"Don't forget who got you here, you would have bled to death that day" it spoke holding a theatrical pause "You will bleed to death again" it spoke its last words warning him, Kazuya felt the streaks of the sun warm his back as he held it and savoured the taste of the first bite, her blood on his tongue._

Kazuya woke up he had seen much worse in his dreams, he couldn't even be free of her in his dreams. Was it true? Was that why she had driven him away? She didn't seem to be nearly as persistent to save him as before, was she pregnant? Afraid of him?

Kazuya wasn't in its folly anymore, Kazuya knew that the demon felt its grip weaken on his soul. Why did it want her life so desperately? It never appeared in his dreams, he could only ever hear its whispers as he wandered in the darkness. Kazuya sat up in his bed, nothing made sense anymore, his world had been so simple before. He had to walk.

Nonetheless as Kazuya felt its voice fading, he felt lonely again.

She had only walked very little in the park, she felt drawn back to the tree. To see it just again, she ran her hand over its bark. She felt the old cracks and she heard the tree talk, as it swayed in the gentle wind. She sat down and leaned against it. The night seemed to soothe her pregnant nerves. She had decided to walk as she found herself staring at the door while at home. She had reconciled with the thought of leaving Tokyo indefinitely. She would raise the child far away from this place.

She would tell him first.

She could feel it already; he was much more obsessed with the thought of conquering the world, raising a child and be what ever they were could never measure up to it. As much as she loved him she could see it wouldn't work and it had proven to be like this many times. How many times had they parted? How many times had they argued? They had run their course. Jun heard footsteps and her instant reaction was to leave the place, as she came around the tree she was staring into his eyes.

"Excuse me," she spoke in a low voice and walked by him.

"Thats not a way to greet a lover" Kazuya spoke knowing she would be provoked, he hand't seen her for a while and she only seemed more radiant and enigmatic than before. He found himself observing her much more closely. He watched her eyes move towards him but she continued to walk by him.

"I don't believe we've ever been more than just a tryst" Jun spoke as she continued to walk, as Kazuya followed right after her. She didn't know what mind games he had in mind this time, but she wasn't going to play into them "What do you want, Kazuya?" she asked him frankly, she had nothing more to give him.

"I saw you, and I just wanted to talk" Kazuya spoke nonchalantly, he couldn't admit that he had missed her presence. That he felt that creature claw at him for every moment, he allowed it only so he could have everything he desired. It promised him that it all could be his.

"Talk?" Jun spoke in disbelief as she stopped walking, she saw him stop and look at her "How's your brother?" she asked him about the most uncomfortable subject straight away.

"Fine, a week of physical therapy has done wonders for him" he spoke "And the Yakushima move?" Kazuya asked her, he hand't found out much only that the she had given a notice to quit her apartment.

"Well under way," she spoke, suddenly feeling uncomfortable it was like talking to some old love after the painful breakup, that would be so skin ripping painful. She placed her hands in her pockets, trying to convince herself that they were no such thing. "Your preparations?" she asked. Jun had decided to take no interest, but found it difficult when faced with the father of her child.

The conversation had gone from sharp remarks to actual concerns.

"They are coming along" he spoke as he took a step towards her "If only I could find a proper opponent to train with" Kazuya lied, he was in great shape. He couldn't help but want her around him and it seemed to him that neither could she.

"Kazuya, I can't" she spoke suddenly, and he was faced with her pleading eyes "I can't give you what you need, you won't let me. How do you expect me to help you?" she questioned him, she never understood what he wanted from her. They were opposites and she had nothing to offer him anymore, only more pain and quarrel "Tell me then..." she asked him for any answer he could give her.

"No, you can't help me" he spoke to her "and I don't need help. I just need you..." Kazuya had done before what he needed to do to rid himself of her. He could easily do it again if she stood in his way, the only question that remained was, would he have the heart to do it?

He stood still and observed her, she didn't move. It was the second time he told her that he needed her, it was an odd declaration. An empty declaration now.

He told her again and again that he needed her, but she knew the truth he didn't need her. Even he had told her blankly that he didn't need her. He lusted for her.

She went back to him for she too lusted for him, he had told her easily that he loved her. Jun was starting to think that such emotions weren't possible for them, such a thing couldn't exist between them.

"I can't Kazuya" Jun spoke "You need me, that's what you tell me because you think that is what I want to hear" Jun spoke as she stepped farther away from him "Can you even tell me the truth?" she asked him as she had locked her eyes with his. He was thinking, for once he wasn't completely guarded. Kazuya didn't answer her.

"I thought so" Jun spoke, her voice heavy with disappointment "I'll be on my way..." she said looking away. His eyes told her too much, and now she didn't want to know more than what he told her. She turned her head to look at him one last time, Jun saw him walk towards her. She stood frozen to her spot, not knowing what he would do.

"I'll see you sometime soon…" Kazuya stated it as a fact rather than a possible scenario, as he kissed her forehead. He left her standing underneath the tree, Jun waited until he had been engulfed entirely by the night before she took a breath. A breath she hand't known she was holding. She felt disgusted by his determination, then she realised that it wasn't disgust as much as it was turned into wonder. She wiped the spot with her sleeve, removing any essence of him that might be left on her. How could he be so sure?

Jun opened the door to her apartment and saw her former living room now filled with brown boxes. Somehow her entire life in Tokyo was packed in brown boxes, it seemed easy to her to pack an entire life into large boxes. She would leave everything behind, only what she had brought she would take with her. It had made it easier to give everything up, and the landlord only seemed happy to have a furnished apartment to rent.

Jun changed her clothes and swept her hair back into a bun, putting on a trench coat she decided that she looked official enough. She looked at the clock, it was 11 already. She picked the paper up from an earlier phone call, she had used one final favour to find him.

Jun walked into the hospital, she knew what room he would be in but she had yet to find an excuse. She took a deep breath as she stepped out on the floor, and saw the receptionist at work. It seemed to be empty. It wasn't filled with all the muscle she imagined that it would be.

"How can I help you miss" she asked Jun, before she had even reached the desk.

"Yes, I am here to see Lee" Jun spoke, his name seemed to taste odd in her mouth "I assume I don't have to tell you which Lee" she spoke with a little smile and her voice dripping irritation.

"He isn't allowed visitors," she told her rejecting her request. Jun had left hoping she might find a hole to slip through.

"I don't know, why he can't make a simple call" she spoke as she looked through her bag "It is very urgent, you see we need his clearance on a project" she spoke and saw her expression change to a suspicious one.

"I can't let you see him," she repeated herself, she feared what would happen to her if she failed at this simple task. Jun picked up on it and knew she feared her employers.

"Would you like to take it up with Kazuya Mishima then?" Jun spoke giving the nurse her cellphone, knowing very well that if she used his whole name and her phone it would seem that she worked closely with him everyday, "I'm sure he'll understand exactly why you're calling to interrupt his training session" Jun spoke while looking at her watch, seeming like she was important enough to know his everyday schedule.

"Miss, if you can show me some official id-card from the Mishima Zaibatsu," She spoke negotiating with Jun "Then I could consult Mr. Chaolong on your behalf" the nurse looked Jun straight in her eyes, Jun had a growing frustration. She wanted to punch her and get it over with, but she knew that her description would easily connect her to the visit. Jun's hair was up in a bundle and the fringe was swept into the hair, her dressing too official. She hoped it at least would take some time to know it was her.

"We don't have ID-cards in the traditional sense," Jun spoke, knowing it wasn't a complete lie "So if you would just tell him why I am here" her voice was low and calming now, persuading her mind to do her bidding. The nurse had an empty look in her eyes, before she nodded detached. Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked down the hall. She knocked gently on the door, before entering. Jun heard her speak her name softly, saying that it was urgent business. His voice was muffled and she didn't understand it, the nurse seemed relieved when she came back towards her.

The nurse nodded and let her walk down the hall to his room. Jun carefully laid her fingers on the handle and turned it gently.

His head was turned towards the windows as smoke escaped from between his lips, the TV was turned on to some random channel. His head turned when he heard her steps.

"Well, aren't I a lucky boy" he said observing her delicate figure standing in front of him "Getting a visit from such a special lady" he chose to let her know that he knew exactly who she was, and what she meant to a certain someone. Jun became aware of that many people, beyond her liking, knew of their private life. "So what do I owe, to this doubtful honour" he asked as he observed her sitting down on the only chair in the room. She somehow seemed unprepared for what ever task she had set for herself to complete.

"I just wanted to ask you a few things" Jun spoke hesitating.

"What answers do you think I could provide you with?" Lee spoke "If you are having a lover's spat then I'm not the person you should be going to for advise" he spoke with sarcasm, Jun couldn't help but smile at his words "Unless it is some consoling you need, it might be difficult unless you get creative" Jun's smile faded just as quickly as it had come to her lips, as she heard his words. They seemed to be equal in their temper, yet Kazuya was much more secretive of what his mind really held and much more of what he desired.

"I would tell him, what you are bursting to tell him for he won't survive…" he observed her expression change, somehow she had come to believe that she was the only one who could read expressions, and had skills for deductive thinking, "You didn't think that he had a chance did you? He's a changed man" he told her only ever suggesting that she was his doom "Then when you've told him that you love him and fucked him passionately for the last time, you better run as far as you can for he will come looking for you and he will find you" he spoke of his father with the same disgust, the way Kazuya had spoken about him.

"Thank you for the fortune telling" Jun spoke dryly, she wondered why all the men of their family were this difficult to converse with. She had spoken to all three of them, and they just seemed to top each other. "I came to ask about your foster father" Jun asked frankly.

"That bundle of joy?" he said in reply, speaking with the cigarette in his mouth "Why does everyone think I have all the answers about that man?" he was surprised to know, that they all thought that he was some sort of advisor or confidant for his adoptive father. Jun stood up and took the cigarette away from his lips as it was nearly finished, Lee felt alarmed by her sudden gesture, the odd familiarity that exuded from her even when he didn't know her. The nurse entered with pills he needed to take, she observed Jun as she crushed the cigarette in the bowl. The nurse took the glass of water to help him.

"Leave it" he spoke to her, and so she did. He hadn't protested to her visits before, and now he didn't protest to this woman's visit. It seemed that she had made the right decision, by letting her in.

"What do you presume that I know?" he asked her when the nurse had left the room, Jun helped him with taking his pills. He watched her how she stood silently by the tray, taking the pills and water glass into her hand. He enjoyed the irony, being taken care of by his brothers mistress even if it only was for a few minutes. She led the pills to his mouth and then the water glass. For mere seconds his lips were in contact with her skin, he cursed himself of not being able to do something witted. He kept his eyes on hers all the while, enjoying the little shred of discomfort in her eyes.

"Anything, why did he come to me?" she asked him as she stood by his bed and watched him swallow the pills.

"Who knows why he did, or what he wanted..." he spoke and straightened his back "You should know, that since you became connected to my loving brother you become another unwilling part of this great Mishima tragedy" he seemed to speak some truth, it showed through his eyes "You are one way to get rid of him, if any other way should fail. That is if you are important to him, are you? Who knows you could be his Achilles heel" he spoke in an afterthought, returning from his thoughts he spoke again "But on the other side you just might be nothing. He's dangerous" Jun noted the change in tone, he had placed a hand on her arm, securing her attention "You don't want to get caught up in their web" he spoke quickly, he regretted his words immediately.

"What do you mean?" she asked concerned, as he suddenly seemed to offer good advise.

"Their power play, even you should be able to see it" he didn't understand why he bothered to tell her, for if she hand't noticed it on her own there truly was no hope for her "They strive for the same power, they will destroy anything between them and that goal" it was too late for him to escape now, at least she had a chance. Even when he didn't feel obligated to do anything, he wanted to do what he only wished in his darkest dreams that someone had done for him.

"Thank you" Jun spoke and squeezed his hand lightly, as she walked towards the door to leave.

"Remember, you always have a shoulder to cry on..." he spoke as she left, a wicked smile on his lips.

Jun knocked on the door heavily, after the long trip she couldn't wait anymore. Kazuya woke up lightly thinking he had heard a knocking, he listened carefully but heard nothing so he turned in the bed assuming he was hallucinating. She knocked heavily again, she had learned what little she could. There was no reason to wait for fate. She had returned home last night only more confused from visiting Lee. No one knew Heihachi, just as no one knew Kazuya. She would have to trust her instincts.

Kazuya sat up in his bed, now confident of the fact that he had heard something. He slipped his shirt over his body, before the thought occurred to him, no one knew he was here. No one knew he had such a place. Apparently his secret hideout wasn't his secret anymore. Jun heard footsteps from the inside.

She could hear his slow steps approaching the door. She saw the handle stir as he had taken a hold of it, didn't he even bother to look through the spy hole?

There was something that bothered him as he took a hold of the handle, something seemed very familiar to him. Kazuya quickly discarded his thought, thinking that it was the late hours of the night that were to blame for his condition. He had clearly gone insane. He opened the door and stared at the woman standing in front of him, she was the last person he had expected to see.

He only had one companion at such late hours. He didn't know what to do or say as he stood with his hand on the handle. He had opened the door. He felt an urge to close the door and lay down and sleep again, it had become a blessed state for him. Yet he felt a much stronger need, a yearn to let her in. She had let him in once, even after what he had done to her, it was the least politeness he could show her.

He told himself another lie, he was intrigued by how she had found him in this place. Somehow she managed to find him, like he found her but he had the resources she didn't.

He watched her as she nervously stepped inside, he hadn't expressed anything. She thought she would die, when he had opened the door and looked at her with those eyes. She thought he was going to eat her whole, who would miss her if she suddenly went missing? She had no one, it was just as much the truth as it was the fact of her life. He closed the door behind her, finding it amusing how she tensed up before him.

Just like she had used to.

She saw Kazuya walk to the wooden wall and open a door in it, he poured himself something and drank it before he turned to face her again. He needed the drink badly, his first thought was that it had to be a lucid dream, but why would he want her to be in it? Furthermore, why didn't he control it? In that case he decided that it was a very realistic dream.

He needed the drink for comfort, for who knew what unpleasant words she would say to him now. Letting her mind be heard, hurting others in the process without thinking or knowing. All for the purpose of, what she thought was right. He took a seat sitting down opposite to where she stood, thinking it would be enough gesture to invite her to sit down.

"I can't bear it anymore, Kazuya" she blurted out "You push me away, and still you come to me. You cross my path where ever I turn. I can't forget you..." she told him in one breath she paused as she observed him, his facial expression hadn't changed since he had opened the door and let her in. He sat as silent and grave as he had since the door had opened, the only thing that demonstrated life was the content in the glass which he twirled around on occasions.

"Do you love me?" Jun bluntly asked Kazuya, he sat quietly before her but for the first time he made eye contact with her "Do you want me?" she asked him again "Kazuya! Answer me!" she shouted at him. She sat down in the chair in front of him. "For I swear you can have me, I have no desire for changing your character or..." she whispered while tears streamed down her cheeks and her hands hiding her face, she rubbed her eyes red she looked towards the door and mentally she traced her steps to the door. Kazuya sat silently thinking she was only vexing him, she would lure him in again. Then it would start again, she would change him if not at once she would change him over time. Slowly and painfully.

It would be the death of him.

Jun sat quietly waiting for his answer, he didn't even bother to look up at her. His eyes were constantly set on the glass he held in his hand. Jun looked at him one last time before she rose from the chair and walked the great distance to the door. What should he tell her? He had told her everything so many days ago, in a forest that seemed to be a fading memory. A memory his mind would and wanted to forget quickly. Jun turned on the spot where she was now standing.

"I'll forget you, and then you will never have existed for me..." she told him with her back turned to him, she took a hold of the cold doorknob and turned it she stepped back allowing it to open. She suddenly felt a force shut it close, she looked straight up and saw his hand on the door. She turned her head to see Kazuya from the corner of her eyes standing only inches away from her.

"You foolish girl..." he spoke gently to her ear, he turned her around gently and tilted her face up with his thumb. He looked into her eyes as he led her away from the door, and seated her on the chair. He touched her face lightly with his hands, drying her face for any tears that might have been left.

"Who says I want to forget you..." he told her comforting, without answering any of her questions. He started to pick at her sneakers he noted the subtle colour blend in her shoes, he hadn't thought of her as a girl that would wear sneakers under any condition, they were covered in dirt which revealed that she had run around the city to find him.

He peeled off her jacket and placed it on the chair. He kissed her cheek lovingly and held her face in his hands, his mind was empty of thoughts for the first time in the past week. Jun neared him slowly she rested her forehead against his, and her breathing stopped in anticipation, their lips only inches apart. Kazuya closed the gap, and kissed the creature he had come to care about. A single kiss wasn't enough to satisfy his need for her. Even the few days without her had been too many. She kissed him again, needing him more than ever before, she sat on the edge of her seat inviting him closer.

He held her close, breathing in her sweet scent even though it had been polluted, her scent had seemed much sweeter in Yakushima. Jun distanced herself from his hold and claimed his lips again. He looked at her surprised, surprised that she had longed just as much for him as he had for her. Jun rose from her seat Kazuya following her, their kisses grew more passionate as Kazuya showed her to his bedroom. Kazuya was seated on his bed by her, the sheets curled, it had only been occupied for a couple of minutes ago.

Jun sat down on his lap her legs placed on each side, not letting escape be an option. She lifted her arms to take her blouse off, an eager Kazuya happily pulled it off for her. She only seemed more pale than he remembered, and her skin was just as illuminating. He kissed her bare skin and looked up at her, a smile spread across Jun's lips. She lowered her head to face him and met his lips in a kiss, Kazuya rose his hand and freed her hair from its restrain he let the black hairband fall to the ground. Jun began to peel Kazuya's shirt off and he happily obeyed her. Their lips met frequently none of them could deny the taste of each other, too tempted. Kazuya placed her down on the bed, and placed himself between her legs. He traced kisses down her body, when he reached her jeans he looked up to seek her permission. She smiled foolishly and Kazuya returned to her sweet lips again, she loved the feeling of his lips the way he tasted like no other being. When they parted Kazuya again looked at her more pleadingly this time, he wanted her too greatly now.

"What are you waiting for Mishima?" she asked him with a smile on her lips, teasing him. Kazuya couldn't contain his lust for her, he captured and ravaged her lips.  
He would be lost in her embrace, in another fevered dream. Kazuya's mind filled up with the sensation of her being, how her skin felt against his, how she touched him gently and the sound of her voice.  
The sound of her voice, it was heavenly. Her gentle, calm and sweet voice. It filled him up, like nothing else.  
Kazuya kissed her neck, earning a moan from her. Soon the entire room was filled with her moans.

Kazuya became nothing more than a simple man.

He caressed her legs gently as he lay next to her, he placed his hand on her neck and caressed her neck with his thumb in a circular motion. The slight red colour on her skin, made her glow differently. She smiled to him, her sweet forgiving smile, he forced her forward and pressed his lips on hers. He kissed her cruelly crude. She felt no other need but to kiss him in return, this was him. He finally let go of her but held onto the back of her neck. He rested his forehead against hers, a smile spread across his lips as he looked into her eyes. He had managed to corrupt her, there was the slightest of hint of it in her eyes. She returned to him, no matter what crime he committed and what evil he was. The greatest achievement of his life to date. He had corrupted her and she didn't even know.

This was all there was.

The room was enshrouded in darkness the only scarce light provided by the city's many neon signs. The buildings seemed to spread for miles and miles in each direction from his penthouse. The city would still stand after they would be gone, the only memorable impact they would leave behind was the one they would have on each other. Kazuya had claimed her his and she had claimed him in return, they had both craved for what they were denied. They discovered the satisfaction of what ultimately was thought to be love.

She loved him on no terms, she would take him as he was with all his flaws. People said that he didn't have a soul and was heartless, everything she had experienced proved them right, but why should she care about what they thought. She had seen something in him, that rarely showed. For who did he have in this world to share such a troubled mind with? He had become cold and alone. She knew he had been wronged by his father, he had learned not to trust or love. She feared that she would never hear it from him.

He had never before experienced the joy another person could bring, he never knew that a person could bring this amount of satisfaction into his life. He had known that it was a joy he would be excluded from, and he proudly had thought that he wouldn't need it and it would only make him blind and he had been right, but he enjoyed every moment of it. They would only be safe in an enshrouded world of their own.

He pulled Jun closer to himself and intwined her fingers with his own, he saw a smile spread across her lips. The covers provided great warmth and he could feel that she was just as relaxed as she had been in Yakushima.

He had never seen her happy, she smiled to him and seemed happy. He wanted to see, how her eyes would shine with true happiness and satisfaction. He watched her close her eyes, as she rested her head against his chest and fell asleep. He realised, as she rested so closely to him that he never could see her smile in such a way, she would never see such happiness with him. He took a last breath filled of her scent one more time, before he gave in and closed his eyes.

_Jun walked on the path leading to her home everything seemed much bigger than what it used to be, the woods towered over her and the sky seemed infinite like it was the universe itself. Jun recognised the feeling, her mother was holding her hand. She looked up and she saw her smiling face greet hers, as she held a pause in the song she always would sing for her._

_People talked about her mothers beauty and her sharp mind. They thought her too be a jewel among women, offering her husband advice, solace, support and being dutiful to their marriage. Any man would want a woman like her for their spouse. Jun listened to her song, as she jumped over every other step on the path._

_Jun remembered she was only five years old, when they reached the house and she saw the newly planted tree it was a gift and her responsibility. Her father's earliest try at maturing his child, and making her more responsible as she remembered it. She heard the door creak, and she knew by instinct that it was her father, her father stepped out on the porch and lifted his arms at seeing his child. Her mother walked past him kissing him on his cheek and went into the house. Jun ran to her father and he lifted her up and spun her around in the air. She felt the air whisk around her ears as her braided hair danced along. He set her back down on the ground, as they checked the tree and how much it had grown since the last time. He taught her how to take care of the tree. Jun touched the bark of the tree, and felt the small cracks under her soft hands. Was this the moment that her love for nature had originated, she thought to herself._

_A burning smell reached Jun's nose it was the smell of burning wood. Jun quickly spun around to see what it was, her father carelessly continued to talk about the tree and how he had learned from his father to appreciate nature and all its gifts. Jun tugged at her father's sleeve begging him to turn around begging him to save her mother. Jun's father quickly looked over his shoulders, and nodded in agreement that he too saw the burning house, but made no movement towards the house, and so he continued to talk about his childhood._

_Jun ran into the burning house and screamed for her mother, she ran around the house as the fire engulfed it. She ran into her parents bedroom and saw her mother lie on the floor, she ran to her mothers side and shook her begging her to get up. Tears streaming down her face, as she desperately fought to turn her mother over so she faced her. When she had turned the body she saw that the woman wasn't her mother. It was herself looking like the woman she had grown up to become._

_The five year old Jun fell back on the floor not believing what she saw._

Jun woke up screaming her heart out, she was sitting straight up in the bed when she finally realised that she had woken up. She looked around and found herself in the dark surroundings of his penthouse. Jun rested her head in her palms, her nightmares had followed her.

"Are you all right?" Jun heard his voice in the dark, and the soothing touch of his hand running up and down her naked back. He rose from the bed, and sat up next to her when she didn't respond to his question. He ran his left hand through her hair, and rested it on her left arm holding her. Jun rested her head on his shoulder, as he soothingly ran his right hand through her hair.

She hand't had nightmares in a long while, suddenly they had returned to her. Why? Jun questioned herself, what was she doing that she was being tormented with such nightmares. She hand't changed. Things had changed around her.

Kazuya held her tightly and kissed her forehead as he parted from her. Jun looked away from him, she realised it was because of his presence. That night in Yakushima, everything had been fine until that night where he came. She couldn't sleep and the nightmares started.

Why?

"Look at me," he asked of her, even if the room was shrouded in darkness she could see his eyes clearly through the darkness illuminated by the scarce light "It's only a dream, they don't mean anything" he told her, he could still hear her silent sobs and see the few tears trickle down her cheeks "look at me," he told her again with more authority, he could see the effect of his words, she was no longer shaking and her sobbing had died. He held her tightly again, tilting her head up he kissed her saddened lips and dried the tears away from her cheek. Jun kissed his lips seeking the warm comfort he offered her. Jun laid down in the bed again and crawled under the warm sheets, she felt Kazuya's protective arm embrace and pull her in. Jun turned in the bed and sought his warmth, Kazuya kissed her forehead and stroked her gently until she had fallen asleep again.

**...**

Jun woke early in the morning to find the bed empty she closed her eyes to sleep more, when she heard some racket interrupting her sleep. She tore herself up from the bed and dressed herself in her underwear and a t-shirt of his she found. She walked into the adjoined bathroom, it was completely black the tiles, cupboards to the counter. He did live in style, minimal but stylish Jun thought to herself. Jun opened every cupboard to find any extra supplies he might have. Opening a drawer she found an abundance of toothbrushes, confusion painted her expression there was enough to last a half year. Jun showered after brushing, looking around she only found few products, in the shower cabinet.

She walked to the windows and pulled the curtains apart, only to see a pale blue sky. She looked around for a clock but found none. She continued to the living room and kitchen, she saw the clock hanging on the wall. It was early in the morning still, only 5.

Jun noticed a pair of doors in the entry, she hand't even noticed them last night. Looking at them for a while she slid them to the side. Inside she found a vast collection of sneakers, she could't remember having seen him in sneakers not even once. Yet he had a pair in every colour.

Jun observed the walls, they were naked, no paintings of portraits or landscapes as she had seen in the mansion. Jun walked into the kitchen and as she had poured herself a glass of water she opened every cupboard, and she found a minimal array of food supplies. He seemed to be a spartan at heart, even when he desired to rule the world.

The irony was too great to not be laughed at.

Jun followed the sound of the racket that again had interrupted the peace, and discovered that Kazuya had a training room at his disposal, she stepped in observing him. She hand't noticed last night, that the corridor that lead her to his training room existed.

"You know a punching bag doesn't hit back and it never grows wise" she teased him, after having observed him for a while.

"Really?" Kazuya responded drinking some water "I hadn't noticed, would you like to challenge me then?" he asked her, he hadn't had such an exhilarating fight as he had had with her in a long while. Jun walked around in the room, it was completely nude of any decoration.

"No..." Jun spoke walking to him, she kissed his lips laying her hand on his cheek she felt the sweat under her fingers and the warmth from his skin.

She walked out on the terrace, looking at the skyline of the city. Her worries disappeared to the sound of Kazuya's fists beating against the punching bag.

Kazuya's eyes found themselves tracing their way to her figure, she hand't been shy from accepting a challenge from him before. What had changed? Had he again stepped on that precarious situation that was their relationship.

Kazuya remembered the dream he had had not so long ago. He dried himself with a towel, as he saw Jun make her way in and closing the terrace door behind her.

"Are you afraid..." he spoke suddenly, Kazuya saw Jun's jerky motion she had stopped suddenly before turning. She turned and looked at him, wondering how he had suddenly thought of such a thing to say.

"Of what?" Jun said with a strained smile that desperately tried to relax, her tension was growing. The thought of their child in the back of her head all the while.

"Of me beating you again?" Kazuya spoke with a grin, he saw relief wash over her followed by a smile.

"Oh, well I wouldn't want to bruise that pretty face of yours, and send you to the office all black and blue" Jun said as she walked to him, "What would people say?" her arms crossed and a smile on her lips.

"You could't do it, even if you wanted to" he spoke leaning over her figure, feeling the tension rising between them. They never knew what it might lead to, it might start as a friendly match.

Jun was looking straight into his eyes, and it would seem it had become a staring contest if it wasn't for Jun's big smile and the hearty laughter that followed. She laughed straight up in his face, the thought of her beating him black and blue was amusing to her.

Kazuya leaned back again, not understanding her sudden laughter. She seemed to mock him at all given times consciously and unconsciously.

She placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him passionately, he pulled her close in to his warm body. When they broke from their kiss, he looked at the t-shirt she was wearing somehow it looked familiar to him and too big for her. A smile spread on his lips from the sight of her in his clothes.

"I could take you on any day..." Jun spoke in a low whisper into his ear, before he could respond she kissed his lips.

"I think we should have breakfast," Kazuya suggested, walking out the training room. Jun stood still for a while as she looked around. It was just as bare as the rest of the house.

By the time Kazuya had stepped out of the shower and entered the kitchen, Jun was dressed wearing her jeans with his t-shirt. The side of the t-shirt tugged into the jeans. Jun turned around to see Kazuya move his right arm in circles, as he held on to his shoulder.

"Are you all right?" Jun asked as she laid a plate on the counter.

"It's just my shoulder," Kazuya spoke reaching for water on the table, he pulled his arm back as he felt pain "It bothers me from time to time after training" he said trying to explain and became silent, he pulled a chair out from under the counter and sat down. He felt embarrassed by showing such trivial physical weakness, he was a feared man and a respected martial artist. Yet he could't pour himself a glass of water without hurting his shoulder.

"Or you're just getting old" Jun said it as a suggestion, with a light heart as she leaned over the counter opposite him and poured Kazuya water with an elegantly stretched arm. Kazuya feeling embarrassed didn't speak a word, but drank his water. "I'm kidding, your still a bull" Jun spoke with a mischievous smile as he finally looked up at her "Let me take a look" she spoke as she approached him around the counter.

"No, it's fine I'll get someone to..." Kazuya started, but he was silenced by the feeling of her hand on his shoulder. Jun moved it around applying pressure to different parts of his shoulder, she noticed how Kazuya had become silent and his head hang low. The most obvious indicators of she had found the right spots.

"How does it feel?" Jun asked after ten minutes, he moved his arm around slowly and instantly he knew that the pressure had changed.

"Much better" Kazuya spoke, stretching his shoulders and arms properly with her hands on his shoulders "Thanks" he spoke looking over his shoulder he looked up at her. Jun saw how his eyes changed, so she leaned in to him as he turned his body towards her. She kissed his lips lightly, withdrawing Kazuya kissed her again now with his hands placed on her hips. He pulled her closer and she followed supporting herself on him.

"You should eat your breakfast" Jun spoke, as she had leaned in to him to pull his plate to him.

"I'll be at home" Jun spoke, as Kazuya closed the door behind her.

"You could just stay here, until you're done packing" Kazuya spoke locking the door.

"I'm not near done," she spoke with little frustration, Kazuya stretched his hand out to her, and Jun trustingly placed hers in his.

For a moment they walked down the corridor, like lovers.

"Mr Mishima, I'm calling about the blood samples and the subjects" Dr. Boskonovitch spoke holding his breath waiting for Kazuya's confirmation.

"Yes, how are the subjects developing?" Kazuya asked.

"The progress is fine with subject B, the transition went smoothly and it is progressing with our every expectations, no difficulties like the first subject. The problems experienced with the first subject can now certainly be associated with the unexpected move..." he spoke wanting to continue on the cryonics project but was brutally interrupted.

"Yes, doctor I'll read further about it in the report," Kazuya spoke "What about the blood samples?" he asked, eager for the result but he restrained his voice from revealing it.

"Well, the blood seems to be different, but in the structure it seems to have gone through some sort of mutation, or it simply could be a sequence not seen before. Your DNA and the samples do seem to share some vague similarity, but it does not seem to be beyond that. The significant difference, though seems to be that it is amplified for some reason unlike yours" the doctor held a pause to gather courage "Mr. Mishima, it would help our research if you were to bring her in for further testing. It would certainly answer many of our questions" he spoke and held his breath, anxious for the answer he would give.

"There will be no such opportunity doctor, I am sorry to disappoint you but the subject escaped me" Kazuya referenced to himself, as the cause for the trouble. He knew the doctor wouldn't speak as freely as he otherwise would have.

"If you allowed to cross reference the DNA, with the national health departments one could track the subject and find her quite easily" he spoke, knowing that Kazuya wouldn't respond positively to getting such suggestions from employees. These were methods he had used himself, after all.

"There will be no need. You have two subjects to take care of, and as your track record isn't perfect I would advice you to focus on the subjects for now. When it will become a possibility we will track the subject, and take the testings to higher levels" Kazuya spoke, referring to the times the doctor had become too eager and carried on without permission "Until then the subject will be monitored for observations, I believe it is the most harmless way of learning of our subject before interfering. We might even find a point, from which we could persuade the subject to submit to the testings" Kazuya spoke trying to convince the doctor of a harmless approach to the new subject of interest. He had done the observations before, many thought it was some perverse obsession with the subjects. Yet observation was the best of methods for learning about the subject and gaining its trust.

"But Mr. Mishima I can guarantee, more substantial test results if you were to bring the subject in. If I was just allowed to conduct tests on her..." the doctors plea was cut short by Kazuya, he was clearly agitated by the doctors newfound passion.

"Dr. I cannot go hunting down every person that you suspect might be of interest for you. I will not waste money on such fishing expeditions for your amusement. Don't make me repeat myself doctor" Kazuya never needed to tell the doctor twice to keep within line. It seemed yet that the doctor had gotten more ambitious since the success of the two projects.

"Also Mr. Mishima if you were to decide to approach the subject, it would be good to know that the subject might demonstrate more resilience as it is pregnant" the doctor spoke with detachment, but certain that such piece of information would mend wounds.

"Sorry?" Kazuya spoke surprised, he would like the creature to be wrong just once.

"Yes, the subject has the production of the hCG hormone, the hormone is produced by the placenta during pregnancy..." the doctor tried to explain further but was cut off by Kazuya.

"You are certain of it?" Kazuya asked as his instincts took over, leaving his feelings behind.

"Yes, even though the blood you supplied us with from the subject was limited we were able to make two tests, to conclude more securely. The subject must have been pregnant for at least seven to twelve days as it is the only way we could find out about the pregnancy" the doctor paused.

"Thank you for your call doctor Boskonovitch, I look forward to reading your report and suggestions for more advantageous actions as well as results. Have a good day" Kazuya spoke, only wanting to end the conversation quickly.

"Yes, of course. Thank you" the doctor spoke, somewhat overwhelmed by the enthusiasm that he so rarely heard from his employer, the only sound that resonated in Kazuya's head was the dead tone of the phone.

His fear had come true.

* * *

**Return for updates, to pass time leave a review! It's always nice hearing from you!**


	22. Chapter 20 Breakthrough part 3

**Author Note**

* * *

First point: **Thanks**!  
I want to thank all of you who took the time to leave a review/comment, it is so lovely to be able to communicate with those who read this story! I feel so flattered! Please don't stop communicating with me, I like hearing from you people.

**CoF666**: Thank you! Flawless, really? I'm flattered. I do proofread, but I guess I become immune to my own mistakes. Is that even possible? hmmm...

**Dale**: Well, I guess you get to know in this chapter.

**anon**: Oh my, thank you so much for calling this the best kazxjun fic on this site! I remember when I just read, it all was just so unreal to me that people did this. Then I started writing and always thought 'Well, you can't expect to do better than those who already published. They are brilliant!'. So thank you, it is a great honor, that you like it so much!

I don't intend to disappear until I have finished this story completely!

**AniDenDav**: Thank you! Oh, you hit the nail on the head! I can't live without my drama!

Second point: **Biology**  
The references to human biology is what I can recall of my biology classes, and I used/abused it to my own purposes so please don't take it too seriously. It was done in the light of improving this fic, not otherwise.

Third Point: **New layout** (clear seperation of narrative shift)  
I have made clear division markers when there is a shift in narrative, it is small but can still be disturbing to the reading experience.  
Do let me know if you guys like it this way, I thought it would make it more manageable to read and also for editing purposes.  
If not I won't do it for next chapter so remember to **leave feedback**! I want it to be great for you people!

**Thanks for reading! Hoping to hear more from you, the readers!**  
Best Wishes  
Ascho

* * *

**Chapter 20 - Breakthrough part 3**

* * *

Kazuya walked into her apartment, with food in bags. He placed them in the kitchen as he took them out of their bags. He had brought plastic with him knowing that she was packing. The table in the living room wasn't packed so he placed it all there in the mess of the brown boxes.

"Hi," Jun spoke when she appeared in the doorframe of the living room "I didn't even hear you come in" she said walking towards him and kissed his lips. Jun noticed that he did not react, for the first time he didn't kiss her "Are you all right?" Jun asked him, placing her hand lovingly on his cheek.

"I'm fine," Kazuya lied "Just a busy day, I think I left my mind there" he spoke and smiled, Jun already knew that something was worrying him. His smile had given him away. Kazuya had decided long before that tonight he would ask her. Dinner continued as it always did, in silence. What little conversation topics they had were quickly covered and discussed.

How many times could the same subject continue to fascinate?

He still could't understand, he couldn't understand his dream and he couldn't understand the deception. How could she deceive him? She had never talked of such subjects, he didn't know if she wanted to be married to someone someday, or if she preferred not to. Let alone if she even wanted to have children, maybe she preferred to adopt children. He knew nothing about her.

She was a stranger to him, Kazuya realised.

"Are you pregnant?" Kazuya asked her not looking at her, he wouldn't state it knowing she would just figure out how he had come to know. Jun's eyes wandered back to Kazuya's, she looked at him he didn't seem affected at all.

"Where did you hear it from?" she asked him as she sat up on the couch, having chosen them to be her first words.

"Are you or aren't you?" Kazuya repeated his question, still not looking at her.

"I am," Jun spoke with a single deep breath. She heard Kazuya inhale deeply, he could't believe it. Being a parent was the farthest thing from his mind, yet he had managed to father a child.

"Kazuya, I" Jun spoke and he looked at her, she saw hatred and indifference in his eyes "I've been wanting to tell you for a long time, but I couldn't gather the courage to do it" Jun spoke with her eyes staring at the floor, and her hands between her legs "I didn't know what to do," Jun spoke, trying to convey in words what she had been feeling and not known.

"We have never discussed it," Kazuya interrupted her "Do you want it?" he was a practical man, it didn't bother him if it came across as being cold. He never thought the affair would last long enough, for such questions to be an actual matter.

"Our child," Jun spoke, when she heard him describe their child as it "Yes" she answered him, as she looked straight at him.

Kazuya didn't respond, she had said our child as if they had wanted this life.

"Kazuya..." Jun spoke, placing her hand on his cheek as he didn't respond she moved closer to him, she sat next to him and placed her hands in her lap "I know..." she spoke and her voice broke "I should have told you sooner" she spoke as she touched his cheek gently again.

"Sooner?" Kazuya asked her "How about the moment you found out?" he asked and he stood up from the sofa breaking from her gentle touch, "You try to lecture me of what is right and wrong, yet you don't think for a fucking moment to tell me?" Kazuya's voice was raised, he was pointing at her like had she committed some crime. "You pretend to be this saint, trying to save my soul! Your one hell of a saint" Kazuya spoke every thought of contempt she had inspired in him, "You betrayed me, even you had me fooled to believe that you were better than this" he spat the insult at her. Not in a single moment did it occur to Kazuya to look at his lover, tears were streaming down her face as she took his words to heart.

"I'm sorry" Jun spoke under her voice, she knew she had done wrong and had hurt him deeply.

"I need to take a walk" Kazuya spoke as he walked towards the front door.

"You're not the only one, who gets to have an opinion on this matter!" Jun spoke as she stood up from the couch, "I didn't think of getting pregnant!" Jun spoke, frustration clearly showing in her eyes. She never knew where she had him, but today she would find out "Yes, I didn't tell you, but what did you expect me to do? Pick up my phone and say I'm pregnant lets celebrate, or surprise you with a dinner and tell you like it was some disease? Which scenario do you prefer Kazuya?" she was still talking to his back, his body language was apparent he didn't want anything to do with her. Kazuya turned to face her, he reached his hand out to touch her.

"Don't touch me!" Jun spoke defiantly stepping away from him "This is your child" she spoke, Jun placed her hand on her stomach "Our child," she spoke again with a softer voice.

She stepped further away from him, needing to gather her thoughts Jun walked into her bedroom.

Jun picked up newly washed sheets and folded them, when she heard his footsteps come into the bedroom. She turned to face him, standing by the window the bed between them. Oddly she felt safe with it between them.

"Don't you dare come near me" Jun spoke, suddenly she seemed to be able to see who he was clearly. He wouldn't think about her or their child. How could he? He had never thought about another person than himself. Kazuya stepped closer to her his irritation growing, Jun knew he would see it as defiance and therefor a challenge to be conquered. Finally he stood in front of her.

"Don't touch me..." Jun spoke not looking at him, as she saw his hand raise to touch her she walked briskly by him. Avoiding his touch. Jun felt his two arms close around her form.

"Let go of me!" Jun demanded instantly, she felt another instinct scream in her mind as she fought his grip. This wan't under any influence, this was him. The man she had fallen in love with. She felt his grip tighten and the sheets fell from her hands, like doves to the ground Kazuya thought. When she started to kick with her legs, Jun was brought down on her knees. His form looming over her as he held her tightly.

"This doesn't only affect you..." Kazuya said as Jun continued to struggle in his hold, but when her fear peaked she realised if she didn't struggle, they might survive. Kazuya felt her breaths become calmer, as her back relaxed against his chest, it seemed to him that she would only ever struggle against him.

"Did you ever consider why I don't want a child," Kazuya whispered into her ear "I'm too busy trying to survive my fathers assault on my life, where in this life do you see a place for 'our child' and yourself" Kazuya spoke his hot breath crawled down her neck. He felt her shoulders slump down as he carried all her weight, she could't support herself on her own knees "I won't be a father, not to your child and I don't want a family with you" he spoke the words with the greatest delicacy, though the words pounded harder against her mind than anything had before. Kazuya released her and she fell forwards onto her arms. He walked towards the door.

"How would I know? You never confided in me, you never trusted me!" Jun spoke with a trace of hatred in her voice, she looked up at him as he stopped by the door

"I never needed to tell you anything, when you could just go prodding in my mind!" Kazuya yelled enraged, he had walked towards her in mere seconds and was now towering over her again. Jun looked up at him to meet his eyes.

"I never," Jun lied, people would never remember her intrusion on their minds. She guessed it was one of the handy enhancements, courtesy of the devil.

"NO?" Kazuya said, "Remember when you fainted? I do, you saw more than you expected and don't bother to tell me it was accidental. I saw the fear in your eyes when you saw the creature. The same fear I had in my eyes years ago. So now you want me to tell you about the horrors of my life? For what purpose? When you have seen everything already" Kazuya spoke unable to control himself his hands formed fists. Kazuya relaxed his hands and stepped away from her, breaking their eye contact. He felt himself lose control he needed to leave.

"I guess we're more different, more than I knew" Jun spoke to the room, as she heard the door shut close.

Kazuya continued to walk until he found a newsstand closing, he bought some cigarettes and a lighter placing them in his pocket he continued to walk. He hated smoking, they were only harmful to the body. He despised them, yet he found comfort in them.

He took one into the mouth holding it with his lips, he lighted it and continued to walk. He thought of the one single thing, that had occupied his mind the entire day. The unborn child.

His child.

He had nothing to give to the child. He was no father, he could't start now. His father had inflicted enough pain on his life. If he had had the choice between being an orphan and his father, he would rather have been without a father.

He couldn't stay with her, she would only hinder him. Burdening him with her ideals at every step he took. They were too different. He could't imagine himself coming home to her and their child, everyday.

No other choice was an option for him. There wasn't any place for them in his life.

They were Kazuya's last thoughts before he stepped into his apartment, leaving the thoughts behind on the streets, and in every gutter in Tokyo where he frequently bled his thoughts and saw them become the blood of the city.

Kazuya took his shoes off and switched the light on he threw his jacket on a chair and pressed a board into the wall. It revealed itself to be the hidden bar. He poured himself the strongest he had in his collection, and drank it in one go. It was getting harder to drown the voices in his head. Never once did they all pull in the same direction collectively.

He poured some more and pushed the board back into place.

He walked to the windows that were higher than him, they placed the entire Tokyo skyline at his feet. He was empty. He didn't know if he ever had felt anything other than that cold feeling his entire life.

He was satisfied with his life he had all he needed, only his father was an insistent problem. Soon he would also be rid of him. Kazuya's thoughts went beyond his father's death. What would he do without him? What would he be without him? The thoughts that had plagued him before returned to him again.

Having it all somehow left him empty inside. He could't explain having never felt such a feeling before.

He had said he wouldn't be a father, somehow he could't stop a feeling of pride in his chest.

He had fathered a child, with the most gifted female he had met. He would like to see what such a child would turn out like. Kazuya finished the last of his drink and moved on to his bathroom. Standing under the shower, he remembered Yakushima. How soft her skin had felt against his, how the light seeped into the room making her look divine.

Kazuya had discovered, that there was a thin line between love and hate.

As Kazuya stepped out of the shower and saw his own reflection in the mirror, he remembered her small laughter. How surprised she looked when he had pulled her under the water, and yet how quickly the joy of familiarity had taken over. Kazuya splashed his face with cold water, why was she haunting him? Could it be one of her many tricks?

Kazuya laid down in his bed and stared at the ceiling, if he hand't forced himself to turn to his side, he would have burnt two holes in the ceiling. His arm was placed extended on the bed, as if his body expected her warm body to be there. He remembered her warmth, and how she sought his as if it was the most natural thing for her. He wanted to hide her in Tokyo and visit her when he desired. He could be the absent father to his child in Yakushima, no one would know. The child wouldn't be known of and pose no threat to him. He felt the devil laugh at him, his laughter resonating in his mind, till it seemed to fill the entire room. He had become a fool for thinking he could have it all. There was no room for her in his life, he repeated it to himself as if it were his mantra till he fell asleep.

His heart was cold.

**...**

Jun woke as the sunlight gently caressed her, she had slept longer than she had wanted to. She had expected him to come back. Like before she had disappointed herself, she expected too much of him.

She rubbed her eyes as she saw the boxes in her room. Getting up she started moving them to the living room, piling them in a corner, enabling herself to move around in her apartment.

She looked at the somewhat messy living room. Why did she always leave a mess behind? When she had left Yakushima, she had broken hearts and it seemed that she was breaking her own this time.

**.**

Kazuya awoke alone in his bed, as his hand searched for her. He opened his eyes, the irritation of missing her presence was growing in him. He didn't know if it was due to missing her or his lusting for her. He had spent too many fevered nights in her embrace, now he expected her everywhere.

Kazuya had entered his office building slightly angered, the employed knew to avoid him when he was angered. The secretary filling for Lee hand't spoken a word to him, as he exited the elevator and had told her immediately not to disturb him unless it was of the utmost importance. As she was brought up internally, she hand't dared to respond with more than a nod.

She mistakenly brought him his coffee as he had picked up his phone, dialling a number. Kazuya looked at her with his cold eyes, making it obvious to her that her presence was not wanted, she exited as quickly as her high heels allowed her to.

"Good morning, Mr. Mishima" The doctor spoke as he answered his phone.

"Good morning," Kazuya replied out of courtesy, the doctor was one of the employed that he kept his manners with "I am calling on grounds of the new report I have some questions" Kazuya spoke, letting the doctor think.

"Yes, what do you wish to know of the two subjects?" the doctor asked, his ambitious project was quickly becoming a burden for him. Failure was no option.

"I was referring to the sample, I gave you" Kazuya spoke hoping the doctor wasn't having a bad day.

"Oh yes," the doctor spoke "There is much to remember" the doctor exclaimed.

"I recall you speaking of the subjects DNA, being similar in mutation to mine? Have you been able to conduct any more tests?" Kazuya asked the doctor, as he turned the pages while reading his notes on the margins of the paper. He still remembered how the doctor talked about his enhancement, it was apparently a genetic mutation. It only seemed to appear in his blood due to certain DNA traits, making it possible. It had been active his whole life, but was becoming more aggressive with age, he told him.

He was after all a man of science, he wouldn't believe him if he said he harboured the devil. A devil that was to be found in every person, in the darkest corners of their mind. It lead them astray, whispering to them at all time.

Kazuya had listened to his.

"Yes, yet it is not so simple. It seems to have a repressing effect on your mutation. There are though also some similarities, such as enhanced senses and to a degree a regenerative capability. The subjects DNA does indicate other enhancements, but they are just speculations as we have no means of knowing whether they are true or not. Unless we can conduct further testings on the subject itself to fully comprehend the capabilities of such a mutation, these speculations are of no use. I must say I have never seen such a mutation, since I started researching yours" the doctor spoke excited, before he realised how much he had talked without his employer being allowed a word in the conversation.

"Doctor, concerning the repressing affect. Have you tried to test both DNA's on subjects?" Kazuya asked out of curiosity, as it had become a subject of concern to him.

"Yes, unsuccessfully. We tried gene engineering, and exposed a subject to it. The mutation seemed to be plausible, but it was too unstable and the subject died only hours after injection. There are many plausible sources of error, but we haven't been able to afford multiple testing as we do not have enough DNA. Without us contaminating it, that is" the doctor was frustrated, with the sudden limitations to what he was allowed. Kazuya had always pushed him to his limits and beyond.

"As I have said before doctor, it is not an option" Kazuya found himself repeating himself more often as days went by.

"I am sure that with our help and your resources, we could easily find the person from whom the DNA originated" the doctor spoke, as he had suddenly grown courageous.

"Doctor, I do not keep you to have you argue with me. I praise your brilliant mind and enthusiasm, but I wouldn't want to end our, until now, successful collaboration" Kazuya reprimanded the doctor, it was easy to understand his enthusiasm had no end "I believe you are still keeping the testing under the strictest control and to a limited staff" Kazuya asked, he only wanted the minimum required people to know about it.

"According to your request, Mr. Mishima. No other than me has worked with the DNA you brought" the doctor spoke having lost his former enthusiasm.

"Have you tried exposing humans to the spliced gene?" Kazuya asked, as he remembered not having read anything of the sort in the papers.

"No, we haven't been able to. We have a too restricted a quantity and henceforth we haven't been able to replicate the DNA. It poses the same difficulties as your DNA" The doctor recalled the failed DNA exposure to animal subjects, they had all succumbed to the DNA within hours. Proving it to be unstable for others, yet it had steadily mutated Kazuya's DNA.

"What would you assess the chances of being successful, if the subject had been exposed to such a splicing since, lets say conception?" Kazuya spoke the well thought idea in an expertly speculative tone, as he leaned back in his chair.

"Pregnancy..." the doctor spoke thinking out loud "It is of course an interesting thought. I do not know what the probability is if done with insemination. I would have to conclude that the chances of the exposed foetus surviving could most probably be, based on my former experimentations not so successful. If the inseminated subject had to be another female," the doctor spoke disappointed as the thought was interesting "But if the woman impregnated with such a foetus, was to be the same female from whom you extracted the DNA. I would say the chances of the offspring to survive, might be slightly more improved. We do not know what exactly the female is capable of or even if she is capable of conceiving from such an opposing DNA. When putting into consideration, that her gene represses your mutation. It would indeed be an interesting experimentation, unfortunately we have no chance of conducting such experimentations" the doctor spoke, hoping that Kazuya would yield to his own suggestions.

"Those are indeed interesting thoughts Dr. Boskonovitch. What I want to know now is if you have uncovered which genes are the dominating and recessive?"

"Yes, that was another interest, as you do know most of your genes if not all your DNA is dominating and so the female subjects DNA also seems to be. Therefor the thought of a child exposed to and from such a gene pool, from conception and most ideally carried by the female subject herself. It would be a very interesting subject. Knowing what capabilities you have and what ever more the female might have, could create an interesting hybrid of the two DNA's..." The doctor spoke becoming obsessed with the thought of a superior human. The next step of the human evolution could become a reality in his laboratories.

"I will call you again when anything new stirs with the female," Kazuya spoke, seemingly sounding like he could't care less about the subject. For it was no more than business "Until then I would like you to send me reports, when new test are conducted or new discoveries made" Kazuya gave his last orders to the doctor.

"Yes, of course" the doctor spoke and placed the phone down. The tone rang in Kazuya's ear.

A hybrid? The thought amused him, then he heard it whisper.

_'Your bastard child just might become superior to you, even if it only becomes half as talented as the mother. What threat could you ever pose to it? Your strength and curse combined with her telepathy, and what other power she might possess. Not to forget how cunning the two of you are. The child would become far more superior, than the two of you ever had the capability of on your own'_ Kazuya ignored its voice and dismissed it from his mind. The doctor didn't even know, if she would successfully be able to give birth to the child, even if she did, it wouldn't necessarily survive.

It seemed that for once fate was with him.

**.**

Kazuya returned to her when the night came, he didn't know what he was to do until he parked the car. He didn't need to worry, with the odds he had heard from the doctor. He had succumbed to his need for her presence.

_'You should't be wasting time on her...'_ he heard it speak_ 'What will you do when you face your father? Beg for mercy on the behalf of your unborn child?'_ It continued to whisper as he knocked on her door.

Jun opened it and stood quietly behind the door, waiting for him to explain what his purpose was at this hour. She knew perfectly well that his match was in a couple of days.

"What do you want?" Jun asked him, not inviting him in as she had done before.

"Talk" Kazuya spoke in a low voice. Jun opened the door and gestured to him to enter. Kazuya walked in awkwardly, the entire place was occupied by boxes. Her home was empty now. Kazuya sat down on the couch, and watched her sit down opposite him.

"My father took everything from me that I ever cared about. When I was child, old enough to comprehend, he told me I was the reason for my mothers death, and therefore he would never love me. A weak boy had taken the place of his wife, if he ever did truly love her I don't know. It seems unlikely to me, for a woman like her to love a monster like him. He treated me like a dog, being prepared for a cage fight. All I ever knew, was the hard training that left my body numb and unconscious" Kazuya's hand had formed a fist while, the other hand rubbed it in an effort to calm himself.

Jun was still leaning back in the chair, somehow in the course of the lonesome time she had spent since he had walked away she had become suspicious of him.

"I once believed that someone in my childhood loved me, but I don't know anymore. My memories are tainted with hatred and misery" Kazuya spoke not daring to look up at her "Then as a beat up dog he threw me away, his only problem was I survived. You can imagine what happened, I couldn't reject it. I was bleeding and my bones broken, what ever I had left of a child's heart I lost that day. The only feeling left in me, despair" Kazuya leaned back in the couch, she had become visible to his sight and then he leaned forward again resting his head in his hands "Since then I worked hard, I did what I had to, to survive. I stole, I lied and I deceived until I started despising myself. As time went by hatred filled me, as I continued to hear about my father's activities through newspapers. I wanted to expose his true nature, I wanted to show the world what a Mishima was truly capable of. I grew from the thought as the years went by. Why should I show him any mercy, when he showed me none? I would do to him what he had done to me. I wanted to kill him, to take from him everything that he held dear. I would take his corporation from him. All he ever cared about. I would become Zeus and he my Kronos" Kazuya spoke bitterly.

He finally dared to look at her, he didn't see pity he saw understanding in her eyes. The last thing he expected from her now. Kazuya wanted to leave, when he saw her move, she stood up and moved towards him. She sat down beside him and took his hands into hers. She said nothing, she just sat beside him.

She couldn't possible delude herself to imagine what he felt, she had been wronged by her father. She had never hated him, he had loved her and wanted to protect her. Even when he failed she never hated him, Kazuya had gone beyond hatred. She could't stop him now, she understood why he wanted to be rid of his father. He was the cause for him being in this state, her ideals told her that it wouldn't resolve anything only more hatred.

She remembered something his father had said to her: "I'm the only thing standing between my son, and the evil that breathes in him" those were the words he had spoken leading her to believe, what he did was for Kazuya's best. Heihachi wanted her to believe that he was protecting his son. He thought that he could lie to her, and expected her to believe it. He unlike his son had no talent for spotting hidden gifts in people around him. She knew the truth, Kazuya's truth and it was the only truth she cared about.

"I understand," Jun spoke "I now understand, I understand why you have to do what you are determined to do. That doesn't mean that I condone" she wouldn't mislead him to think that she would support him, it was an act she couldn't and wouldn't support.

"You don't have to," Kazuya spoke and stood up from the couch "I don't need your acceptance", Jun took his hand stopping him in his track. He looked at her over his shoulder, what more could she have to say to him?

"You have to hear," she spoke, her hand revealed how nervous she was as it shook "I want this child. It's our child" Jun spoke letting his hand go. He had to decide now, would he accept or would their paths be separated forever.

Kazuya knelt down on his knees at her feet, and lifted her head so she would meet his eyes.

"I don't want to give you more pain, than what I have" Kazuya spoke "You shouldn't do it, if..." Kazuya spoke, when she laid a hand on his arm "It won't redeem me, not erase my mistakes" Kazuya continued.

He wouldn't let her do it if she thought that it would change him, that he would be atoned. That he wouldn't murder his father.

"Our child is innocent, it deserves love and care" Jun spoke in return "I will give it mine. I don't expect you to understand my choice, just as little as I condone your actions" Jun squeezed his arm "Our child, doesn't share our fate. It doesn't share our sins" she spoke placing each hand on his cheeks. Tears were pressing in her eyes, Kazuya felt some part of his heart break as he saw the tears roll down her cheek. He took her into his arms, as she silently cried. Kazuya felt her hot tears roll down his cheeks, as if they belonged to him. He sat with her in his arms on the couch, as he looked at the boxes.

He wanted to keep her. Keep her to himself, hide her from the rest of the world. Have her living in a glass case, where he could admire her after a long days work and she would look just the same.

"I understand," Kazuya spoke in a whisper, he kissed her hair and held her tighter as her sobbing stopped. He remembered what the doctor had told him about her DNA. This just might be the most natural way of seeing, what the result of a natural integration of both DNA's might look like. He wouldn't have to waste time or money, on useless experimentations. Nature taking its course was a beautiful thing after all, Kazuya thought as he held her in his arms. She was only willing to take care of the child on her own.

It had turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

They had laid down quietly in bed. They both knew what was to come. The great divide. Kazuya held her in his arms, feeling her warmth.

Kazuya could't keep his thoughts from wandering. What would he have to offer to a child? He who never had experienced the joy of having a parent.

_'Oh, but you will hurt the child'_ he heard it '_You cannot be a father, you will hurt the child and it will never forgive you. That will grow to hatred and you do know how the story continues. You cannot learn to love'_ he heard its whispers continue _'You think you love her? To procreate is an instinct, it has nothing to do with love'_ it whispered poison into his ears.

Jun moved in his arms as if bothered, he saw her open her eyes finally in panic. She looked up at him and then the room. Kazuya felt its voice fade away, he could't even feel its presence. She seemed to be a good charm for him.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Jun asked him tiredly, as she placed a hand on his chest lifting herself from the bed.

"I just woke up, suddenly..." Kazuya lied, and stroked her cheek "You should sleep, its only a matter of time till I fall asleep again" he spoke as Jun laid down again and closed her eyes.

"You should't worry..." Jun spoke as she turned her back to him, and closed her eyes. Kazuya stared at her back, her talents were heightened. Maybe she had always been like that?

He could only hurt the child, not give it solace. He would remove himself from the child's side. Not being near the child wouldn't give him any opportunity to hurt the child. He could't let her be harmed again, and she would if she stayed, if she stayed with him.

It would be safe, she would be safe.

Kazuya persuaded himself that to protect her he would leave her side for good. He couldn't protect her from them. They would use her to get the better of him, or just for the fun of it. He knew too well, the pleasure of taking what his competitors desired the most from them. Leaving them in a shattered world.

The child would be at a too great risk.

Kazuya felt his own thoughts take place in the dark, as the creature had retreated to some corner of his mind. He didn't hear its whispers, only the flow of his own thoughts. He could decide, alone, what he would want to do.

**...**

Jun woke early in the morning and saw him sleeping next to her, his arm around her waist. She lifted his arm to move away from under it. Jun slid quietly to the edge of the bed trying not to disturb his sleep. Sitting up gently, she placed her hands under her hips. She looked back at him, his arm still placed where she had left it. Looking at the clock, she knew she should wake him up soon. He had work and she a meeting with her employer. She decided against it, he had barely slept through the night. She just needed to have everything ready.

Jun stood under the shower head as the water ran down her body, the steam from the water had filled the entire bathroom. It seemed like some dream state to her. Nothing was real. She just might be able to make it all go away. She placed her hands on the wall, as she lowered her head. The water was hitting her neck and running down her back. She wanted to cry, she wanted to do it so desperately.

Somehow she thought that she had no more tears to cry. She was alone and would be alone, alone with her child. Jun's hand slid down the wall, and then to her stomach. She rested her hand there. As if in mere moments she would hear her child's thoughts take form.

Jun felt a hand on her shoulder, he turned her around and forced her to look up. All those doubts, crushed dreams and fears were in her eyes for him to see. Kazuya stroked her hair away from her face, and kissed her saddened lips.

"Kazuya," Jun spoke in between his kisses, he trapped her between himself and the cold tiled wall.

"You should have gotten me out of bed earlier" he spoke and kissed her again, she found comfort in his kisses.

She thought he understood what she had meant, when his hand moved away from the wall giving her a way out. Instead Kazuya's hand moved down to her waist, Jun only managed to look up at him. When he pulled her closer, resting his head against hers. Jun looked into his eyes, as Kazuya placed his hand on her stomach. He kissed her again. The creature hadn't been right, he felt an odd pride. He had created something that could be beyond him, beyond the creatures control. It wasn't a desire he had had, but the interest was growing. This woman was chosen of all the women he had known, his thoughts were as he pulled her closer in and placed kisses on her neck. She would carry his child, Kazuya thought as he lifted her from the floor. The mother of his child was the one who could suppress the creature, and he would take control. The world could be his. Kazuya's thoughts reached new hopes, as he heard her sweet moan in his ear. Her thighs closed tighter around him. She would be his to claim, forever. He looked up at her, she opened her eyes as the water ran down her face. Her beautiful lips parted as another moan escaped her, and he covered her lips with his.

Jun saw Kazuya walk out and past her into the bedroom. She heard him shuffle with his shirt, for some reason he always carried spare clothes with himself. She came to think that maybe he was too familiar with such situations. Liaisons.

"Why did you see Lee?" Kazuya asked her suddenly, breaking the silence.

"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" Jun replied as she tied her hair in a ponytail, Kazuya only glanced at her once "You didn't tell me much about your father. I thought he might tell me something about him. Some things you might not be willing to" Kazuya stopped buttoning his shirt as he heard her speak, she didn't have faith in him "Maybe, if I was lucky, he just might know why he had come to me, in the first place. Turned out he knew very little" Jun spoke, not telling him about his warnings. They were of no relevance to him, so she kept them to herself. He needed to focus on his father.

She seemed to have served Kazuya some good intel on his brothers knowledge about their father. Kazuya had again the thoughtful mine, Jun knew for certain that he was lost in his own thoughts. He had kept an eye on him, Kazuya knew that his father had approached him, but Lee didn't know anything consequential.

Even Kazuya used Lee, keeping him close meant keeping the only door for the old man back in within eyesight.

Their father used him as a pawn. Approaching everyone around him, trying to bring fear to him by spreading it among those he knew.

"How did you find out?" Jun asked him, as she drank the tea she had managed to make before he stepped out. It seemed that what previously would have been a heated discussion now had merely become a professional exchange of knowledge.

"He's an angry man," Kazuya said and drank some water, she had placed on the nightstand "Combined with the painkillers and his love of remarks, he can't really help himself. He could tell anyone anything, as long as he got some kick out of their emotional distress" Kazuya spoke and went into thought, he had never really understood Lee nor had he tried to "I didn't even need to see the security footage, he told me about your visit. Your name, your hair, how you behaved, how you were dressed, your mood, what perfume you might be wearing and what questions you asked him. How you had fulfilled some fantasy of his. He thought he could stir some emotion in me" Kazuya spoke, as he sat down on the bed buttoning his shirt again. Jun only had a small smile on her lips, she didn't know if she should be flattered or feel completely naked.

"Did it?" Jun asked Kazuya, for even she never knew what stirred him.

"Well you did excite something in him..." Kazuya spoke and trailed off to his thoughts again, never revealing his anger due to her visiting Lee, and that his so called brother had been attracted to her. Kazuya never answered her question. Jun placed her cup on her nightstand, as she observed him. He was sitting silently, completely engaged in his mind.

"Great, another family member of yours likes me" she spoke with a smile on her lips, and tied an emerald green dress around herself. When she looked up, she saw him standing in front of her.

Silently.

He took steps towards her, Jun stepped back instinctively not able to stop herself. She saw a smile come to his lips, and she knew she had made a mistake. Kazuya stopped in front of her, when he had her trapped between her vanity table and himself.

"Kazuya..." Jun spoke, breaking the silence her hands were resting on the table surface, her upper body was leaning over it. Jun created distance between them. He was frightening her. She hand't seen him this aggressive since the beginning. He had a menacing spirit then, she saw something different now. He allowed her to see him. Jun thought she had broken it, and now it had returned.

Kazuya placed his hands on each cheek, when he saw her face move away from his. Forcing her to look up at him, he brought himself closer to her. Locking his eyes on hers. He saw the fright in her eyes, he hand't seen it in a long time, somehow it managed to bring out a pleasure and satisfaction in him that other things couldn't.

"You are mine," Kazuya spoke as he looked in her eyes, he saw her expression change to one of relief. He kissed her. She didn't react to his kiss, he thought he could possess her. Jun's arm found its place around his neck, bringing him closer. One second he would frighten her, but the next everything changed. She didn't know if she minded being possessed by him. He had her pressed against the table, and with nowhere to escape to. Kazuya felt her try to pull away, he placed his hands on her waist. Not letting her move away from him, he pressed her harder against the table. A small moan escaped Jun when he kissed her neck, she felt Kazuya untying the knot of her dress.

He opened her dress, leaving her in her underwear, while he only had his shirt and underwear on. Jun used what strength she had and more to push him away. He looked at her surprised.

"I have a busy day" Jun spoke with a devious smile, as she tied her dress around her naked form again, she walked towards him. She saw his eyes travel down her body. She wouldn't succumb to him that easily, if he thought he could possess her, he would meet more resistance than he could ever had imagined. "You're wrong," Jun spoke in his ear, she kissed his lips and she felt his lust rise in him "You keep coming back to me," she said as they parted "You're mine" she spoke and gave him a quick kiss and left the room. Kazuya was again amazed by her sudden change, he had thought her to be passive and tame.

A prey, but she wasn't.

He came to understand better, why he had been attracted to her.

**.**

Kazuya walked into his office, the assistant had finally learned to make herself sparse. He walked into his bright office, another annoying habit of his assistant. Kazuya placed his papers on the table and walked to the glass. He looked at the Tokyo skyline as he had many times before. Somewhere among the many people, his father was to be found. In one of the many houses he slept, safely. He walked the streets safely, free from harm.

All Kazuya wanted was his hands around his neck, but he could only watch. Kazuya walked to the wall, and stared out again. The pale blue sky. Kazuya pressed a button, and saw the blinds fly across the windows. The room darkened immediately, he stopped before they completely darkened his room. He could see a ray of sun coming in, only a slither of light. He walked back to the spot and again he looked at the city, through the slither. Like he always had, from the dark.

It looked much different now, more familiar.

Kazuya knew exactly where she was. He knew where to find her, he would go to her again tonight like he had the many past nights. She was the only liability.

He left the blinds.

Kazuya walked to the bookcase, pushing it in it opened and revealed a safety deposit box. He retrieved the papers from it, placing them on the table Kazuya stared at them. They were all options for an eventual setting for the final. Since it was his father, he had something else planned. He looked at several pictures of locations, they could all serve for the purpose.

If one of them could express his hatred it would be an easy decision, he wanted to kill him. Kill him, not delay that moment even for a second.

He saw the picture lying in the bottom of the pile, taking it up from the pile he read the file that was attached to it. Secluded and still active. It sounded like himself. They would settle it amongst them selves, no interference.

The volcano it would be.

**.**

Jun sat in her employers office, last time she had been in there she had declared her resignation. He had asked her to take some more time to reconsider, according to him she had seemed too passionate about resigning. It made little difference for Jun. She had decided what needed to be done, she would save her child at any cost.

"So Jun," he spoke "Have you thought about what we talked about?" her superior spoke hoping that it was a matter of lacking challenge for her.

"Yes, I did" Jun spoke, she had thought about his offer but it had never been in his favour "While I am flattered, my resignation still stands" she spoke.

"Why?" he asked her again "Why would you want to leave? I always thought of you as my successor. I remember the day you came to give your interview, you were convinced that we needed you and you convinced me too. So why are you so hell bent on leaving us today?" he asked her after revealing all his sentimental memories of her. Jun had never known till that day, that he remembered her so well.

"There are more important things for me to do, and you have a perfectly adequate team at hand" Jun spoke, "I'm grateful for the time I spent here, thanks for giving me the chance" she spoke extending her hand.

"It seems I have no choice" he spoke and shook her hand "But," he said holding onto her hand "There is a free lance position that needs filling out" he offered her the job. Jun looked up at him in shock, why would he offer her another job when she was leaving the one she had. He read her expression clearly "Consider it Jun, I'm not losing you to a competitor. I noticed Takeshi from human rights getting friendly with you" he spoke letting go of her hand.

"They aren't trying to snatch me," Jun spoke "I thought I could empty the office today? If you don't mind" she said making the subject professional again, she didn't want to think about him.

"Of course, but I can't leave you unsupervised" he spoke feeling somewhat awkward by the situation.

"I understand," Jun spoke and got up to follow her superior. Her former superior she reminded herself.

People looked up from their desks, they knew she was leaving. She saw it in their eyes, every one of them was wondering why. She had been the most successful of them. The ones that had been there the longest believed it to be due to a lucky combination of talent, the boss liking her and good looks.

Jun packed her things quickly, all the hours she had sacrificed in this office amounted to two boxes. She explained the filing system to her superior, who found it very much organised like her.

"I will consider your offer," Jun spoke "When I get settled down, I'll call in to let you know" she spoke standing with her two boxes.

"Good," he spoke taking one of the boxes, he followed her to elevator "All the best wishes Jun" he spoke as the doors closed. The last he saw of her, was the emerald green colour of her dress.

**.**

"Hello Mr. Mishima," the doctor spoke nervously "You had requested a meeting?" he asked his employer. Whenever his employer requested a meeting by telephone it could't be good, if he was interested and the curiosity positive he would usually pay a visit to the facility.

"Good morning doctor, yes I requested a meeting" Kazuya spoke, the tension was so thick that it transcended through the phone "What is the status with the subjects?" he asked the doctor.

"The subjects haven't reacted negatively" the doctor spoke "This is the farthest state we have reached with this project, the other test subjects succumbed to the trials" Kazuya heard his voice relax, he thought it was an ordinary check up call "There are no signs of degeneration and extraction shows a slow recovery the best, if it is hastened it could cause harm" the doctor continued to speak of other insignificant details, that didn't matter to him. At the moment another topic held much more significance for him.

"Dr. Boskonovitch, it sounds like you have it all under control" Kazuya spoke and heard the doctors voice die at the end of the line "I have some concerning news" Kazuya said slowly, letting the doctor calm into it "The DNA sample that I acquired for you, from the female" Kazuya spoke reminding the doctor of Jun's DNA.

"Yes, it is magnificent DNA. I wouldn't forget it lightly" the doctor spoke, he sounded as if he had fallen in love with the mystery and challenge of Jun's DNA.

"The female died," Kazuya spoke, he waited for a reaction from the doctor. He suspected that he heard a change of breath, he heard no reply. "It was an accident," Kazuya continued but was interrupted by the doctor.

"You should bring her in, we could still gain much knowledge. Resuscitation might also be an option" The doctor spoke, he had badly wanted the female to be a part of his regular research subjects. If he hadn't denied him and his request this wouldn't have happened. The doctor saw his ambitions fade into failure. All he could do now was damage control. He might still be able to learn sufficiently from her body.

"Doctor, it isn't an option" Kazuya spoke adding to his lie "It was a fire, not much remained of her. I trust that you know of the apartment complex that burned down yesterday?"

"Yes, of course, no one survived" The doctor spoke, not willing to disappoint with his intellect "Hardly any remains survived" the doctor spoke to himself, disappointment clear in his voice.

"She was identified by what little remained of her" Kazuya spoke, the doctor had reacted just as he had calculated. He had arrived on the conclusion himself and therefor he would not fight him, and he would not have to reason with him. "It was something both of us would have liked to pursue, and the results would have been interesting" Kazuya spoke, sharing the doctors grief and loss, and guiding him through the process to a wanted result.

"Yes, indeed we did lose much" the doctor mused, all his dreams of grandeur and becoming a name history would never forget. They had all died in the fire, and were now nothing but ashes.

"For safety, I would like you to transfer all the biological material that remains and all the research material to the head quarters immediately. The research that you have conducted so far, needs to be archived properly. As for the DNA it needs to be properly preserved, we will of course organise a monitoring program if anything similar should appear. We will also research if she has any relatives"

"Yes, of course. It sounds very good" the doctor spoke, agreeing where he would have disagreed with his employer previously. He was almost in a haze from the shock. All the work he could have done and achieved, he would have changed many things. Archiving for future reference, would be the best. His dreams would have to wait, once more.

"Do not worry, we might be able to find another way" Kazuya lied to reassure him.

"Of course" the doctor spoke absentmindedly, as he hung up the phone.

Kazuya leaned back in his chair, it went smoothly. Now he had to arrange for the material to be received and destroyed by himself. First he had to destroy the traces left in the database, nothing of her could remain. It would be as if she hand't happened.

**.**

Jun arrived home to a packed apartment.

She took the phonebook out and started looking for a moving company. A task she had postponed for a long time.

The night came, and Jun found herself lying alone in the bed for a change. With the final of the tournament closing in, she didn't expect to see much of him. Nor did she expect that he would call her to let her know that he wouldn't come.

**…**

* * *

**Remember feedback for new 'layout', yay or nay?**

**To pass time leave a review, and return for updates!**


	23. Chapter 20 Breakthrough part 4

**AN.**

Hello everyone!  
**  
**The new layout stays, as you guys did find it helpful and not detracting from the whole reading experience. Thank you to those of you who responded to my question!

**Technicalities of new layout:**

**. = **change in narrative or person

**... =** Time change, here to be understood as the following day

*****= meaning of symbol, needed to understand the dream segment. Found on the bottom of the page

**ObviouslyTima: **Thank you and things will be very interesting to say the least, while being non spoiler'ish.

******NatsuXIII:** Thank you for your very kind words! It means a lot to me, when considering there are other giants on the site who wrote/write Jun and Kazuya paired stories. Also thank you for noticing my work on their characters and the many scenarios. Those two things mean a lot for me to portray right, so I struggle a lot with what would not only be right for the character, but also a correct response to the set up of the scenario and the larger context of the situation.

**********CoF666:** Thank you for noticing the emotions of the characters, they are becoming very crucial to the story. I felt even worse when I wrote that reaction, I felt like a horrible human being! But I still think that is the most realistic reaction for me from Kazuya.

**********Dale:** It's updated! Enjoy!

**************anon:** The goodbyes. There is so much in store!

**I would strongly recommend to look at the meaning of symbols, to fully understand the dream.**

**This is the last part of Chapter 20, next is the epilogue. It will be uploaded Late Monday.**

**If there are any questions you want answered, I would suggest to ask them now. Then I might answer them in the epilogue otherwise you can always PM me, I will gladly reply.**

I hope you enjoy reading, and let me know what you think. You know I love hearing from you!

ascho

* * *

**Chapter 20 - Breakthrough part 4**

* * *

Kazuya had woken to his cold bed, as he was used to. It soothed him, his own loneliness. Its whispers greeted him in the morning, instead of her soft whispered words. He had dragged himself home from the office, well past midnight. As Kazuya stood in the shower, he was reminded of her wet soft skin. Her wet hair clinging to her, the water rushing down his body and hers washing all his impurities off of her. She haunted his mind, whenever she wasn't near.

Another one of her tricks, he was sure.

**.**

Jun had walked several times up and down the stairs, helping with the boxes. She didn't have much, but when they were moved out of the apartment the sooner she could clean it. She was carrying the last of the boxes down, she shook his hand and he assured her that they would be there on time.

Standing in the apartment emptied of her things, there was no signs of her ever having lived there. It always seemed like she was running, from things and more importantly people.

She remembered moving from Yakushima, she ran from her parents and the responsibility they gave her. She wanted to be like others. Had she only known then, that she was safe in Yakushima.

Jun sat down on the middle of the floor, looking out of the windows. Watching the light stream in, she laid down to watch it reflect different colours on to the ceiling. Everything had changed, every colour that had painted her life was different now.

They were darker.

**.**

Kazuya came to her late in the afternoon, the last hours of daylight were golden. The streets looked like they had been set on fire, people had moved to cafes to enjoy the last of the day.

To enjoy this golden hour, what did he have to give?

The light streamed in from every window, making everything more beautiful in its golden rays. His memories became tainted, different from how he wanted to remembered them.

Different from the truth.

He entered her home watching her walk around with a mop, cleaning after herself. He wondered how she ever relaxed, her house was always spotless. She had to be distracting herself from something.

"So you've packed everything?" Kazuya asked her, everything seemed to have been sent away and the house cleaned.

"Yeah, all I have is that bag" Jun spoke pointing to the large weekend bag, she had only the necessities to make it through the two days.

"You're going to live out of a bag? So where will you go?" he asked her two questions, not waiting for her to answer the first. He watched her take the bag and a mop.

"A hotel, I only have tomorrow and then after tomorrow I turn the keys in after the inspection" she spoke, as she cleaned her tracks after her, pushing Kazuya into the small entrance hall.

"You're going to a hotel?" Kazuya asked her, knowing trouble would rise if she did stay in one.

"Why is that so surprising?" she asked him as she turned off the lights.

"I know a better place, where you'll be free of prying eyes and the bad food. You'll get excellent accommodation, a view few people see and a favourable host" he spoke, as he cornered her up against the door in the dark "Available for your convenience" he spoke in a whisper. He kissed her lips, pressing against her body.

"It sounds good," she spoke, when they parted. Kazuya moved in to kiss her again, but Jun escaped through the door. Looking out into the hall Kazuya found her standing at the neighbours, with the bucket and the mop. Exchanging some formalities he assumed. She came to lock the door of her now former apartment.

Their way through the city was passed in complete silence, Jun stared out of the window taking in the city for one of the last times. She wanted to remember the place, where she spent her most crucial years. Alone and determined, and still she had lost her battle.

He was somehow able to turn off all his emotions, he never displayed emotion in public places. When he did it had seemed deliberately, for some calculated purpose. His thoughts empty as he navigated through the city. Jun's eyes only lingered for small moments on him. It seemed like only a few moments later till they had arrived. It was some old industrial park.

He parked in the underground parking, walking in front of her all the time. Jun followed somewhat hesitantly through the dark parking garage. Kazuya stood awkwardly waiting for her with a key in hand. Inserting it the doors opened, it was an elevator. He inserted a different key, and the elevator started to lift them up. Last time Jun had been here, she had walked up the stairs.

The doors opened to a dark hall, they walked across the hall to his apartment. She followed behind him slowly, in the darkness. She felt like a canary, curiously following the cat.

When the door of his apartment closed behind them, it was like he had been ignited. The briefcase in his hand was placed on the table in the entrance hall, his hands on her cheeks. He placed his lips on hers, kissing her roughly. Jun had no time to react, she barely managed to get the jacket off of one shoulder. Kazuya pushed her against the wall, trailing kisses down her neck.

"Kazuya..." Jun spoke, as he peeled her clothes off slowly. Jun pushed him back, Kazuya looked at her puzzled by her action. He saw her expression change, as she quickly walked to the bathroom. The noises associated with throwing up reached him, for a moment he had forgotten that she was with child. Everything was changing.

'That's what you dragged back to your sanctuary?' he heard it whisper from the darkness.

Everything had changed already.

**.**

When Jun came out from the bathroom, after having taken the liberty to shower, she came out with a towel wrapped around her body, she avoided him. She had waited in the bathroom for a long while, hearing him pace back and forth often. He even stood by the door, speaking to her.

She felt weak, like her pregnancy was wrong. Jun listened carefully by the door, listening for his footsteps. Hearing non her courage increased, she opened the door and entered the bedroom. She looked down the hall for her bag, but it wasn't where she had dropped it. He had even picked her jacket up.

The bedroom was bathed in the last of the daylight, making it golden. The dark colours came to life. Unlike the last time. She felt queasy and could't stand on her own feet. Jun found her bag lying on the table in the corner. Quickly pulling clothes out of the bag, she was about to let the towel fall. When she felt it. She turned around slowly and there he was standing like a tower. Jun clutched her towel closer, not knowing why. He had seen her naked on several occasions and conditions.

"You're avoiding me" Kazuya spoke not moving an inch, it wasn't possible to mistake the tone for a question. He said it as a fact, in a menacing voice.

"I don't feel well," Jun spoke, consciously playing the victim card "I didn't want to bother you, I know you're busy" she explained adding layers to her story making it believable.

He laid his hands on her shoulders, it was all he had to do. The poison would spread in her body.

"Now you're lying" he spoke tilting her head up, as he observed her closely. She had her best pokerface on.

"What does it matter? If you won't believe me, no matter what I say" agreeing to go with him, now seemed to be the most horrific agreement of the day.

"I will," he spoke, she seemed so frail standing half naked with her clothes held up in front of her chest. Such a protective act, when it didn't make a difference. She should be feared equally. "When you speak the truth" he said leaving her to stand there "There's food in the kitchen" he left her alone to get dressed, his presence was clearly unwanted.

Jun sat alone by the counter having her dinner, when had things turned so bad? Cleaning her plate and utensils. She opened the cupboard, and found her peace offering.

Jun made the tea, and found him at his desk in another room she hand't known existed. Every wall was covered with bookcases, from the floor to the loft. Filled with books of colourful backs and more monotone backs, some empty spaces were to be found between the books. So she imagined that this was his private collection of books, something of his own.

Not the Mishima mansion, with the generations of history gathered in one place.

He hand't noticed her yet, as he sat by a table by a large window extended to the ceiling taking advantage of the very last light. The blues very appearing clearly in the sky, no oranges or reds. Just purple, cobalt and deep blue, she had never seen Tokyo so beautiful at night. She walked in and placed his cup on the table. Kazuya only looked up at her, acknowledging her presence.

"It's difficult," Jun spoke after some silence. Kazuya looked at her again, her face was turned to the window. Her gaze told him that she was honest. He didn't ask her any further questions, knowing what topics it could lead to. She smiled faintly to him and started to walk towards the door.

"What exactly are you thinking of?" Kazuya asked her having turned his head a little, he sipped from his cup as he saw her stop by the door. She lingered, thinking before she would answer. She turned in the doorway.

"About the final match" she spoke leaning against the doorframe, she only told half the truth. The other half Jun suspected that Kazuya knew the answer to, for their child was the subject.

"What about it" he spoke standing up, he leaned against the table so he had a better view of her.

"How is the training going? What do you have in mind" she spoke, listing things only to avoid him finding out "More importantly you" she spoke finally confessing her worry for her.

"Is that all?" he questioned her, when he saw the wrinkles form on her forehead. Jun simply nodded in reply. "Well I'm taking all precautions," Kazuya spoke coldly, making it obvious that he didn't want her involved or her opinion on the matter. "I'm fine, I want it over with. I can't stand his existence anymore" Kazuya spoke answering only one of her questions, Jun simply nodded, knowing it would be wise not to push the subject any farther. He sat down on his chair, continuing his work.

Jun parted her lips to speak, hesitating she stopped herself. 'You can make anything of me, I'll be anything for you tonight' Jun thought, nearly haven spoken it as she had seen his body language change. Instead she walked up to him, and placed her hand on his cheek. He looked up to her.

"I know," she spoke and kissed his cheek, she placed both her hands on his cheeks and rested her forehead against his "but that doesn't mean I don't worry" she said as she kissed his lips, remembering what had happened earlier.

She walked back to the living room, sitting down she sank into the couch. She picked her book up, still unfinished and an ongoing project.

As always she would simply hang around for another round.

**.**

Jun woke up on the couch, startled. Her head had fallen off her arm. She hand't even noticed the sleep take in. She turned on the couch looking at the roof, she knew she wasn't at home. Yet she still expected to wake up in her apartment. Jun decided to stand up and get to bed, she looked down the hallway and saw the light in his library. Not wanting to disturb, she walked towards the bedroom. She thought it would be the best to do, as their conversations quickly became cold.

Jun went to the kitchen for a glass of water, as she reached the bedroom. She saw him standing there.

Walking past him, she placed the water on her bedside table. Kazuya stood silently unbuttoning his shirt, he observed her routines. She unbuttoned her cardigan discarding it, she took of her loose fitting pants. Placing them on a chair, she went to bed in her favourite t-shirt and underwear. She was very forgetful apparently, that impression she hand't left him with at their meetings. Lying down in the bed Jun turned to the table for the book, only she had forgotten it. Upon getting up he stood in front of her. He pulled her in by her waist, until she stood against him.

"Kazuya" she spoke, not knowing what he was doing until he placed her book on the table. Her head followed his hand, and when she looked at him again.

He kissed her. It was a tender kiss, one that made her worry. He let go of her waist, and cupped her face. His silence was the worst, with it he could hold her captive. She felt his doubt, when his kisses became much softer seeking her acceptance. Seeking her warmth. She placed her arms around his neck pulling him closer, she kissed his lips, with what love she had for him.

His kisses were filled with sorrow and freight, he didn't know what would happen. He would never see her again, to feel her soft and warm skin under his callous hand. To hear her sigh in the dark. All the riches that he had, and the power that had become synonymous with his name could all be gone soon. Jun broke from his kisses, wanting to speak knowing what unspoken sorrow he carried.

He isolated himself from her.

Kazuya kissed her more passionately and demanded her attention, stopping her before she could speak her mind. Her eyes had betrayed her thoughts and intention. Jun's fingers wrapped into his hair, she pulled him closer. Resting her forehead against his, she looked into his eyes and kissed him. He touched her lightly, gently pulling off her t-shirt. His touches and kisses on her naked skin were soft and tender. They were mournful.

Jun lay underneath him, staring up at him with her brown eyes. She looked innocent, a person that didn't deserve this, Kazuya thought. He kissed her lips apologetically.

**.**

Jun lay in his arms, the room lit by the dim light on the bedside tables. Nothing had been said, everything seemed to have dissolved. He was staring at the ceiling content, for now. Jun knew she couldn't help any more. It was his battle. He would have to decide what prize was too high, and what to pay with.

_"What are we exactly Kazuya?" I would ask him, resting my head on his chest as he would return from his thoughts. Kazuya's breathing would stop for a moment, I would feel it and he would know that I did. It would be an unintended reaction, but as always we would discover new things of what we chose to call a relationship, after having shared thrilling moments only minutes before. I would slowly raise my head waiting for his answer._

_"We're out of this world," Kazuya would say at first with a cocky smile, he would see the excited and hopeful anticipation for his answer fade away from my eyes, as I slowly again lay my head down again. Unintentionally turning my back to him half way, as my thoughts would wander immediately. He would in short words, disappoint me. No matter what he would tell me, I suspected that I would be disappointed. He would stroke my hair gently, as he often did. I had come to know that when he did, his thoughts weren't finished. I would hear him take a deep breath as he would think of what to say, he did it when he the most needed to search the depths of his heart._

_"We are much more than this world can define us to be. We don't fit into any boxes, any labels or any conventional thought ever conceived by man. We are much more" he would whisper convincingly in my ear as he would hold me in his arms. The secure feeling washing over me, as I felt his hot breath on my ear. He would feel my chest stop moving, as he discovered that I was listening intensely to all his words._

_"We, we..." he would say knowing I was listening, that he had me in his grasp. Taking a long pause he would turn towards me, pulling me tighter in._

_"We are lovers" he would speak in my ear, and kiss me behind my ear. I would persuade myself to believe his lies as he kissed my lips with passion, knowing that he had succeeded in convincing me once more._

_"You are so full of shit" I would say just to see his reaction, letting him know that his seducing words wouldn't win. He would kiss me, convincing me that what he said was true. Consuming me kiss by kiss._

That was how she imagined the conversation would go, Jun was looking at him as she stroked his face gently. His lips turned to the smallest of smiles, with that image imprinted in her mind she closed her eyes. Her body in his protective arms. Kazuya inhaled the scent of her hair.

He looked down at her, he admired her beauty closely than ever before. She served a purpose, distraction. Then he learned how unique she was, the key to control. He had desired her body and her blood.

Never her mind.

Now he wanted her soul, mind and heart. When he knew he could't have her. Kazuya stroked her hair away, as her breath steadied underneath his hand.

…

Jun heard the same sounds ring through the house, he was training again. Kazuya stood still for a while having delivered a series of punches. He was tired for some odd reason, he usually could go on for much longer. His strength didn't feel the same, or had the bag gotten heavier? Circling the bag, Kazuya delivered some of the more dangerous punches of his repertoire. He felt the energy flow through him, but when his fist met the bag his strength dissolved.

The punching bag only shook a little in front of him, taunting him.

_'You really don't know whats going on?'_ it spoke to him _'It all goes back to when you started to change, to doubt yourself and dreaming of another way'_ it continued to whispered, Kazuya granted it all his attention _'You didn't even feel it did you? When it all began? You chose to ignore it. You liked the warmth of her body, the scent of her hair and the feeling of what was between her legs'_ it sensed Kazuya become hostile, she had him entranced _'You've changed since you started to chase after her, you never stopped to ask yourself what price you were paying. You gave everything else away for her'_ it spoke provokingly, knowing that Kazuya was starting to believe its words _'Every night you spent with her, every moment you saw the same desire in her eyes. You don't need others consent to do what you desire. Why would she?'_ the words of your own voice and desire were hard to deny, especially when they spoke logically seducing with their well configured strategy.

The irritation grew in Kazuya, uncontrolled he executed a series of punches and kicks. The bag shaking by the hinges in the ceiling. His anger, disappointment and hopes all channeling through him. Till he broke the bag off of it hinges and saw it hit the wall. Angered Kazuya wiped the sweat off of his face, when he heard the floorboards creak. He saw her pale figure stand in the door way, in one of his shirts.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," she spoke softly not entering the room "I just came to ask what you wanted for breakfast" Jun spoke, as she pushed her hair behind her ear waiting for his answer.

"Anything is fine," Kazuya spoke shortly, and turned towards the punching bag. He walked to it and picked it up.

"Let me help," Jun spoke and stepped into the room, she saw the cold look in his eyes.

"I'll manage" he answered in few words "It's broken" he said as he let it fall to the ground. The loud thud brought Jun back from her thoughts.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, it was so simply evident that he had changed over night.

"Nothing," Kazuya spoke, not looking at her his whole body turned away from her. He began to peel the bandage off of his hands.

"Don't lie" Jun spoke "You should know better than trying to lie to me" she spoke not moving from her spot. She saw him turn towards her, and again she saw the scar on his chest.

"I don't want you around" Kazuya said it as it was, he saw her expression change. Jun looked at him, she just realised why he had asked her to stay with him.

Sex?

"What exactly do you think, I have done to you?" Jun spoke, knowing he was obsessing on one thought alone "Do you really think I'm capable of robbing you of your strength?" she spoke as she walked towards him. Kazuya looked up at her, for the first time in a long while he felt exposed.

"You don't even know what you are capable of" Kazuya said to her in a cold tone "You might not think yourself evil, but you're not innocent" he spoke as he continued to unwrap the bandage.

"So what do you think I did?" Jun said as she walked closer, it was always easier to say the question and then see where peoples thoughts lead them. They gave her answers willingly. "So I drove it away?" she asked him, his self restraint wasn't as good as it once had been. His thoughts were offered to her freely.

Before Jun knew it he had her pinned against the wall. His anger made his strength unmanageable, and Jun's head slumped as she felt the pain spread in her body.

"For every moment you stay here, I despise you even more. I feel your good penetrate every essence of my being, and I hate you for it" Jun lifted her head and looked into his eyes.

She realised she had to remove herself from his side, if she wanted her child to live. She didn't answer him, she felt defeated for what more could she do? She could feel the creatures presence increase, the fire it tended to so delicately in his heart. It would set his soul on fire.

"Think carefully about your next words Kazuya" Jun spoke warning him.

"Or else what, You'll make sure that it will be my last time? You'll lobotomise me"

"What do you think I have done to you?" Jun asked him again, she had never done anything horrible to him. Never anything that could make him her hate her so much. The doubt of her actions rose in Jun. Had she been wrong? Had he been beyond salvation all along? Had he been stringing her along? Was she nothing but entertainment?

"I don't know what you've done to me but something is very different" Kazuya spoke coming closer to her, he examined her expression "Why else would you be here?" he asked, seeing if the question would reveal anything about her

"I came because you asked me to" Jun answered his question simply.

"I asked you. So why do you look at me with those eyes?" Kazuya asked and her expression changed to one of disbelief "You want me to change so badly. It sickens me to even look at you anymore," he spat his words at her, "It doesn't matter to you does it? Whether what you tried to do, and are still trying to do is right or wrong? You are correct, so I must be wrong. I must be evil, the devil" Kazuya was enjoining the confusion in her eyes, and her growing anger "It is your interpretation of what is right and what is wrong. You made me your enemy" Kazuya spoke more harshly, as he didn't see her react. "You cannot bend me at your will, If you change me, I will not be the man who you followed willingly into the darkness. Have you ever thought about that?" Kazuya gave Jun time to consider his words.

"I gave up on you a long time ago" Jun spoke, with a controlled voice. She wouldn't break in front of him, she would deny him the satisfaction.

"So how do you justify your actions?" Kazuya continued, "You create what is the best for you, and your understanding of the world. So hopeless Jun Kazama can find hope and purpose in a cruel world. I became a noble cause, a victim to save" Kazuya spoke in anger, how dared she tell him that she had given up on him. He wasn't a charity.

"You were never a victim, maybe as a child but not anymore. I learned what you were, and that you for no thing or no one would ever change your course. You cannot save those who condemn themselves" Jun spoke the words, she felt Kazuya's hand on her neck "I cannot exorcise you of the demon against your will, just as you cannot control it against its will. You condemned yourself the day you welcomed it with open arms and again when you denied my help, it was of your own doing" she spoke through his grip, thoughts that had gathered in her mind over the many last days.

Kazuya's grip tightened when he heard her words. He would murder her, how dared she think that she could redeem him? She held no power over him, no condemnation or salvation. His grip tighten around her neck, he could see her life seep out through her eyes.

Jun raised her fist hitting him with all her might, she hand't come to Tokyo to die.

She refused to die by his hands. Jun watched Kazuya stumble back, before he fell to the floor. She slumped down the floor, there was no hope. Kazuya lay on the floor staring at the ceiling. He was losing his self control. He could have done much worse to her. He heard her footsteps leave the room.

Kazuya walked to his bedroom expecting her to be gone, for good this time. The bed was made and the room was cleaned of all the scattered clothes from last night. He felt an awkward feeling overwhelm him, when he saw her stand in the light. Kazuya saw Jun half naked as she tried to clasp her bra. She froze when she felt his cold fingers on her skin, he clasped it for her. His hand lingered on her skin.

"Don't try to comfort me" she spoke angered, many times she had been disappointed but angered only a few "I don't want to see you again, I'm not your plaything" Jun quickly moved away from his touch, as she pulled a top on and put on a cardigan, she tried to button it but found her fingers fumbling with the small buttons. She took her bag from the corner and walked past him, leaving his shirt on the bed "If you throw me against a wall, I will bruise. Eventually I'll break..." Jun spoke standing by the door of his room, "that you saw too" she finished her thought before she left him standing alone.

Kazuya walked to the doorway of his bedroom, he watched her bend over as she pulled her boots 1on. Her jacket in hand Jun placed her hand on the handle and opened the door, she didn't think twice about it.

Was this a way to live?

**.**

Jun checked into a hotel, knowing very well if he wanted to find her he could no matter what. Using a false name wouldn't make sense. She placed her bags in the room, parting the curtains she took in the light. She felt like a tourist in Tokyo, after all the years she had lived in the city. It had only taken moments for the city to exorcise her, forever.

Jun walked to the bathroom and checked the water before she stepped in. She scrubbed her skin hard, erasing every caress and scent of him from her body. She would cleanse herself from him, and forget him.

Forgetting that she carried with her something, that she would never be able to forget or neglect.

Stepping out of the shower, Jun dressed quickly. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she could still feel his touch on her skin. Jun realised that he would resonate through the rest of her life.

**.**

Kazuya entered the wing that had been reserved for his brother, it was another tiresome day. Most of his thoughts revolved around her, he could't stop them from returning to her. He was preparing everything, he would leave nothing to chance, he had prepared himself thinking he would die. He always did. He always prepared for the worst, that was why he was so effective as he was.

The enhanced abilities that the creature gave him only made the task easier, but he refused to credit all his efforts to it. Kazuya only glanced at the nurse at the desk as he continued walking towards the room. The nurse looked at him as if she was seeing hallucinations.

"Mr. Mishima!" she spoke surprised as she followed him "We weren't expecting you?" she spoke further not understanding why he would come for an empty room.

"I can come and go as I please," Kazuya spoke as he placed his hand on the handle, he dealt with enough incompetence in his office. He didn't tolerate it when out of the office. Kazuya opened the door to find an empty room, it was cleaned and held no trace of his adopted brother.

"Where is he?" Kazuya spoke angrily, and saw the woman before him shrink.

"He left," the nurse spoke frightened by the sudden shift in the room "I came for the morning shift and he was gone" she didn't know what to do but to answer his questions.

"WHO let him leave?" Kazuya asked her again as he walked towards her.

"I don't know," she abandoned the we, not willing to defend those who she worked for she wanted to survive.

"Leave..." Kazuya spoke, and he heard her footsteps echo through the hall as she walked lightly and with quick steps. So his brother had played his card, he had known that he was a coward. Till this day he hand't known what a big coward he was. Lee didn't matter, Kazuya could have him tracked easily.

Why he had done it mattered more, had their father persuaded him? Was he finally living his life according to his own will? Was he even capable to live without a Mishima to live off of?

Kazuya looked in the drawers, his clothes were still there and all his things. The bathroom had all his things. It seemed to Kazuya that Lee had left in a hurry, he finally lived life as he wanted to. Kazuya couldn't help himself from smiling, Lee's timing seemed to stem from his survival instinct.

He himself was abandoned.

**.**

Jun strolled down the street, walking as slow as she could to reach the apartment. It was her favourite walk through the city, passing by all her favourite stores and other small spots where romantic endeavours had blossomed and failed. She deliberately avoided the tree in the park, she had loved sitting there. It was her piece of Yakushima in the city, now he was bound to it.

Reaching her apartment she checked it for the last time, it was clean. She walked out on the terrace, taking in the view for the last time. It all would be gone and she would be far away. Safe from all the harm, isolated.

Jun stood in her apartment, ready for others to start a new chapter in their life. She heard a light knock and footsteps, it was the landlord. Everything proceeded in a slow matter, Jun found herself staring towards the balcony more often. Her lips reacting to the memory of his lips. She quickly looked away, directing all her energy at the landlord as he inspected the bathroom.

"Everything looks fine, you'll have the full deposit..." she heard the words, but they made no sense. She followed him out to the living room, her mind filled with memories. The way he had whispered in her ear in the cover of the late nights, and how his callous hand felt in her soft hand.

"Jun, are you listening?" the landlord interrupted her romantic memories. Jun nodded quickly and the landlord continued undisturbed "I'll give you a moment, so just give me the keys on your way out" he spoke, somehow she had become very much attached to the place.

"Thank you" Jun spoke and heard his footsteps die out, as he stepped out of the apartment they echoed through the hall. She walked in circles for a while, her mind recalling every touch, word and broken promise.

She would rather have died living a miserable life than having met him, she decided in that moment.

She sat down in the middle of the room, taking in the rest of the sun. The living room somehow managed to catch all the light in the world. She remembered how he sat in her couch, for only some seconds nothing seemed to bother him. Jun remembered how he had touched her for the first time, how his hands traced up her hips. How she had felt abandoned and rejected, when he left her half unbuttoned on the couch.

Had she only known that this day would come she could have consoled herself. Sitting for some more moments she remembered how he had stormed in, how he accused her. How humiliated and abused she felt crawling away from him, hearing the glass crack under her. How she had been reminded of the night, as she picked the glass shards up from the floor. Jun stood up from the floor looking at the place for the last time, she would be taking everything with her.

**.**

Jun walked into the hotel, she only needed her bag and tonight she would leave. She saw it fitting to leave at night as she had left Yakushima. When the sun would break the dark sky, her life would start anew. Jun placed her hand on the doorknob, she felt something odd. She felt the same shiver, the same coldness and feeling that begged her to run for her life.

Like the first time he had laid his eyes on her. Jun shook the feeling off and stepped inside, her pockets felt lighter as she no longer had the keys. All that came with them was gone. Looking up she saw him standing by the window. Of course he had found her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, not hiding her hostility as she took her jacket off.

"You were going to leave without saying goodbye?" he asked her, no emotion in his voice as he stared out the window. Just him. She never knew what to answer him, when he finally did ask her something.

"I didn't think of you as the sentimental kind" she answered honestly, she saw a small smirk form on his lips as she poured water for herself. She had thought of a hundred reasons, in these last moments for why he should choose her and their child. Yet when she stood here with him, she could only think of a single reason to why he shouldn't.

It would be their death.

Jun placed the glass on the table, she walked across the room reaching for her bag. She placed it on the bed. When she turned around Kazuya stood in front of her, she hated when he did it. Jun took a step back only to see him take another step towards her.

He stepped closer to her and she closed the distance standing inches from him. She felt compelled to follow his movement, she still couldn't resist him. She looked into his eyes. They were as calm as they could be, for he was where he was meant to be. He stroked her cheek gently with the back of his hand, and she felt all the love he ever had felt for her in that single touch.

"I never loved you" Jun whispered gently into his ear, Kazuya froze as her gentle voice reached him. It was the last nail in his coffin, and she dug it too deep. It scraped him and he bleed, she would make him pay the price.

It was her vengeance.

Jun did what she thought was right now, after all that was what he wanted. His correct way to understand the world. Them adapting to him, to please him. So she bowed to please him. She freed him, from any human emotion he had left. She wouldn't carry the blame for his failure, she did what she knew he wanted her to. Though the powerful Kazuya Mishima didn't dare to utter the words, his last request. She had granted it to him, freely. She never loved him, she repeated to herself.

_'I had never loved him'_, she repeated to herself.

It felt like an echo abruptly shattering her world of silence. Amidst all the wrong things that had happened, this was the only right. The many times he had broken her heart, yet she had continued to kiss him. Moments he once had thought could be spent better, he had become convinced that there were no better moments than the ones spent with her. The kindest of her kisses had broken his cold and hard heart.

She looked into his eyes and he had death in his eyes. The pain only lingered for much longer. There was nothing that could be said and there was nothing that could be done, nothing could be different. They had met, she had tried to save him and he had hated her for it. From it something entirely different had happened. For a moment Kazuya fantasised about another life, he had always known his purpose but she made him doubt.

He had memorised her a long time ago, thinking he could never approach such a woman. He knew then that he was forbidden such a creature. Such beauty and light was not for him to have, only to admire. She saw it in his eyes, the sacrifice he was making. He would stop it. They would never meet again, never hold each other or exchange kisses. He had sacrificed it all. They had condemned themselves, she had known from the beginning that it couldn't and wouldn't be. They stood inches from each other as strangers.

They had started as strangers and would part as such.

Kazuya took a step away from her and stopped, he wavered where he stood. Not taking any further steps, Jun stepped back recreating the same distance. The distance they had created between them, as they became two again. She picked her bag up and walked towards the door, placing her hand on the handle she turned it and looked over her shoulders. He stood there just as stoic as he ever had been, hands buried deep in pockets. Jun etched the image into her mind.

"I don't know if it means anything to you but..." Jun spoke, she saw him turn his face towards her and his beautiful dark eyes pierced her soul for the last time "Good luck..." she said her last words as she left the room before him. She had more than anything else wanted to say; never let me go.

Kazuya had seen her kind eyes for the last time, he stood perfectly still as he heard her steps fade down along the corridor. He wanted to remember this moment the most. The fading of her steps.

He wanted to memorise her face, every lash and every wrinkle as it looked the day he had denied her love. Cherishing the feeling of having held a woman he didn't deserve in his arms.

Jun walked slowly down the stairs as she memorised his face again. Her hands on the rail she walked slowly remembering the friends she would be leaving, the life and the empty apartment. She wanted to and now she would, exchange it all for dusty old pictures and the green forests of Yakushima. For the life in her.

They had become strangers again.

**…**

_He felt her hand trace across his chest, he thought she had left. He turned in the bed and saw her lying next to him. She stroked his cheek gently, taking all the worries from him as their contact broke. She spoke no words, just looking at him. Like she was reading his mind. That was her way to look at people, she passed off as a helpless little girl. That was her defence mechanism, she was protecting herself from others._

_Those who would abuse her._

_Had she only known what he was willing to do to her, keeping her in the dark of course. She would willingly have subjected herself to his desires. He saw the sudden fright in her eyes. He kissed her lips tenderly, calming her. In return he felt he was losing his will, her thoughts fluttering in his mind. Calming him. Distracting him. Forcing him to forget._

_Parting from her lips, her lips curled to a smile._

_He forgot what he wanted, why he did as he did. Who he was._

Kazuya woke startled, she had an unwanted affect on him. Her scent was every where, her essence wouldn't leave him alone. He sat up in the bed as he began to breathe calmly again. He laid his head down on the pillow again, the darkness was not as soothing as it once had been. He could learn to love it again. He was again surrounded by her scent, turning his head on the pillow her scent overpowered him.

Kazuya ripped himself free from the warmth of the bed, he stood in the darkness and stared at the bed. He could recall her lying in his bed, and for a moment he though he saw her. He ripped off the sheets from the bed, and threw them onto the floor. He took the pillows and threw them on top of the pile. He carried them out to his bathroom, throwing them carelessly into the bathtub. He walked to the kitchen searching. He returned to the bathroom, Kazuya threw a lit match into the pile. Watching the fire spread slowly, as it caught onto the fabric it spread like a wildfire. Her moans, gentle touches and lingering words died with the fire. He could have peace.

Kazuya laid down on the bed again, with no sheets, no pillows and no cover. Surrounded only by darkness.

Too often against his liking, Kazuya had to realise that there were many things that he couldn't control.

**.**

The boat rocked gently on the waves, Jun sat silently staring out of the window. Her slumber came and went gently, she only slept for minutes, and was awake for much longer. Nothing had bothered her, it all seemed to easy. Was it supposed to be so easy to let go?

Jun had noted the families, travelling to Tokyo not many were going her way. She imagined that they were travelling back from a family vacation. Family? Hers had been divided for a long time, only reunited by the burials of their parents. She had inherited their land and the main house. A greater love and appreciation for nature, was her fathers reason.

The light was breaking the darkness on the horizon, threads of light dancing over the water. Jun felt her lids getting heavy, there were so many things to do and only so little time.

Jun arrived in Yakushima in the morning, just in time to see the sun creep over the humble rooftops of the town. The houses were out numbered by the number of trees surrounding them. Only the shop owners were at work, getting their supplies ready for the day. She walked past them, saying hello to the few she still recognised. The dew was clinging to the grass, in the cold air. She walked up the path that lead to her new old home.

Seeing the house it looked as if no one had abandoned it, her work had paid off. She felt pride, pride that only a Kazama could feel by looking at the magnificent house. Pushing the keys into the separate locks and turning them, she heard the mechanisms turn. Entering her home, it was as if time stood still in Yakushima. Nothing had changed.

**.**

An angered Kazuya returned to training the following morning, had she been more dangerous than he had been willing to realise? Had he thrown away victory over a woman?

_'I warned you'_ he heard it whisper _'but would you listen? No, all for a woman who satisfied you temporarily'_ it spoke, seeing the affect it had on him _'I hope it consoles you to have sacrificed your ambitions for a woman'_ it spoke its last words as the voice faded, Kazuya felt his anger build in him. He punched the bag hard, and saw it collide with the opposite wall as it poured open spilling its content.

Kazuya felt his hatred fill him, it was a different hatred. Not the hatred for his father but hatred for her. He hated her for the state she had left him in, nothing but a shadow of who he was.

She had stolen everything from him, his power, his ambition and his strength.

**.**

Jun sat down after cleaning the house lightly, she had showered and had tried and failed at sleeping. She enjoyed the winds sweeping across the tree tops, everything so peaceful. She drank her tea, thinking of what options she had. Money wouldn't last forever, what other work was she suitable to do than reporting and investigating.

Maybe she should become a fortuneteller, Jun laughed at herself.

The ability she had desperately protected and hidden from people, would be exposed and at anyones disposal. The local kindergarten could be an option, she had just to decide if she liked children enough to work with them. The thought seemed odd, considering if she liked children. She would be a mother soon enough.

She could't continue to be employed at the WWWC, she could't risk attracting too much attention to herself now. A local job would be best, for both.

**.**

Everything was taken care of, the papers signed. Of course he knew what his father would ask for after victory, not ask but demand back. He had spent the day erasing her existence. Anything that could link her to the research facility.

If he could't have her, he made sure his father wouldn't find out.

Kazuya sat with the last papers in his hand, and in the other a drink to dull his pain. Why did he trouble himself? He could't care less if he died, it would all be over. No, that wouldn't happen.

He looked at the papers again, he would like to see what the child would be like. Would it be strong? What desires would the child have? Would it carry the same curse of hatred, vengeance and paranoia as the Mishima's had for a long time. He felt nothing for her, he had intoxicated himself with the thought of love. Kazuya wondered how much he had felt it himself, and how much she had been responsible for. Closing his eyes he rested his head for a while, was she even capable of such things?

He would never know.

His father would laugh in his face, if he were to found out how precious a thought she was in the darkest corners of his mind. She or rather what hidden talent she had in her, had become an obsession and project of his. Not seeing it to the end, was another sacrifice.

He could have subject her to his will, one way or the other. When the time would come.

Kazuya didn't know what relationship he had to his mother, what she had meant to him. He could't even call her mother, he walked by her picture often and she was nothing but a strange woman.

He could never think clearly in this house, this great mansion of theirs. A testament to their great power. He was surrounded by the shadows of his family.

The betrayal that permeated their family, only fuelled by their lust for power. They were willing to betray brothers and sisters, destroy fathers and mothers. What they hand't realised a midst all the chaos they spread around them, was how they were at the mercy of their whims.

They didn't know how to govern over their desires.

Kazuya laughed at the sad destiny they all had shared. They all seemed to die at the hands of a Mishima. His ancestor's whispered to him at night, telling him how they were murdered. Fuelling him with ideas, of how he could destroy his father effectively. They were all devils surrounding him. Dancing in circles around him. They weren't ghosts that he could expel, or demons he could smoke out. They were his blood. He would never be free of them. They would whisper to him through the night. Promises of vengeance, the glory of power. Spilling the blood of family, how it felt different, more delicious if possible.

They would take his soul.

Kazuya opened his eyes and looked through the rest of the papers. Why was she so special?

She had become nothing but numbers to him. A mystery to be solved. A potential weapon to be controlled.

How she had become a guilty pleasure, he didn't know. Something about her, so pure, he didn't deserve to have her, it made him desire her even more strongly. Something he could't have. He rose from the leather couch, walking to the fire he threw the file into the flames. He looked at it transform into ashes. He stared into the flames, like the fire destroyed the papers so he had destroyed everything he had touched.

The wind ruffled, the wind seemed to howl particularly much this night. The moon seemed to have taken refuge in the skies. He would overcome him. He would subject him to his will. He would murder him with his bare hands. See the life drain out of him, slowly and painfully. No more would he have an influence on him, his fathers shadow would not linger over his life. He would be released from his cold and merciless grip. No past, he would be free to do as he pleased.

Kazuya threw the last file into the fire, he watched how the fire licked the pages and reached for the skies. An owl cried in the distant, as the clouds gathered closer. It was as if the sky had turned black in one swift change. There was no light.

He didn't know how to love her.

**...**

_Jun opened her eyes to see the blue sky, stretch for eternities. The sun was hanging low in the sky, her favourite time of day. Red* and orange* colouring the sky, the gold* had gone. She laid her hands stomach and she felt it, the child had grown. Jun panicked looking down at her body, convinced that it didn't belong to her at all. She became calm when she recognised herself. She placed her hand on her stomach, her child._

_Her heavy breathing was replaced by relaxed breaths._

_Jun warmed herself on the grass, nothing had felt so good in a long time. The warmth and feeling of freedom, it was hard to compare other things to it._

_The green* grass spread for miles around her, yet she could distinctly see or sense something at the horizon. It was forming a black line distinctly through the horizon. Jun saw a shadow run over her body, looking up she saw a white crane fly through the sky._

_Immediately Jun stood up from the green grass, she felt she knew it. She walked as fast as her belly would allow her, always keeping an eye on the crane. It flew steadily towards the forest it would seem, Jun walked faster. She could almost run after it. Jun paced herself, remembering the child she carried. Gaining closer to the forest she saw something, there we something high above the rest of the forest._

_In a matter of minutes she had traveled the long distance, she stood before the forest. She had seen the crane land on a tree branch. On the branch of a cedar* tree. It sat nobly with its feathers of black under its wings and bold red colour marking its eyes, it sat and watched her intently as she had approached. It was waiting Jun realised, it was her choice if she wished to enter._

_She looked at the dense forest, they were cedar trees. Elegantly weaving around each other, and the pine* trees. Beams of red and orange light penetrated the crowns of the trees, bathing the forest in golden light. It was alight._

_It was tantalising._

_It watched her intently, it jumped to the next branch. It perched a pine tree. Jun became more mesmerised and as she took her first step into the forest, screeching roars cut the air. Jun looked back to the field, she was filled with horror by the sound. More confidently Jun took her next step, the white crane above her jumped from branch to branch. It cleared her path through the forest. Branches, leaves and trees seemed to bend at its will making her path easier, yet she still stepped carefully and gently over their roots._

_She didn't want to cause trouble in such a tranquil place._

_Jun stopped and rested, the humidity was higher than it had been on the edge of the forest. She leaned against the trunk of a cedar, she was so tired already she couldn't continue much longer._

_Closing her eyes for a moment to rest, it had become harder than she had ever dared to guess. He didn't make it easier for her, there wasn't place for her in her own mind. It was crowded, her thoughts, her desires, her duties all of them fighting in her mind._

_Jun heard something move and opened her eyes immediately. Opening her eyes she saw the crane come towards her, it held a leaf in its beak. Jun raised her hands and received it. The leaf contained water*. The cranes gentle grey eyes stared at her, tilting its head. Jun was more sure now than before, it was observing her._

_"Thank you" Jun spoke after drinking the water, she had never had water like it before. She felt her strength rebuild and multiple threefold. Looking up she found the crane in the branches again, jumping from one to the other. Jun quickly followed not wanting to be lost in such a dense forest._

_Jun began to felt the soil become more moist, until she finally stepped into clear water. Panicking she looked up at the crane, she hand't gone wrong. It was jumping confidently and relaxed to the next branches in front of her. She continued to follow, her feet went deeper and deeper into the soil. The sounds of beetles was subsiding, no longer did it seem like they were all hiding behind the same tree. Their cries became sparse, as Jun stepped more confidently._

_Soon it was completely silent._

_The only sounds were made by her and the crane, it became a soothing rhythm. The trees gave more way, the distance between them grew. The crane took to the air, flying just above the tree tops. Jun continued at her straight path, until there was no more._

_Jun found herself standing in front of lake* in a clearing of the forest. In the middle of it was a large tree, the one she had seen. It was majestic. Its roots alone were larger than any tree she had ever seen. Jun watched the crane fly across the lake, as it settled on one of the branches of the tree._

_It was the Jomon Sugi*, it had to be. It looked exactly like it._

_Jun had never seen a more magnificent cypress* tree. It was surrounded by magnificent red rhododendrons*, they spread like an intricate web across the water. She stepped into the water without knowing, she looked down to find her next foothold, as she did Jun saw two eyes staring back at hers. She sprang back immediately, as she observed the eyes become larger. It wasn't until it had reached the surface, that Jun realised it was a turtle*. It was larger than what could possible fit into the lake._

_It too like the crane stared at her. They were all observing her. Were they trying to decide if she was worthy? If she was the right one?_

_The turtle began to cross the water*, had she passed? Was she supposed to follow? Jun stepped into the lake* pushing the rhododendrons aside gently, causing small ripples. She followed the turtle determined, they weren't alarmed. Why should she be?_

_Her stomach only seemed to have become more sensitive, it reacted to every stroke the water made._

_Soon the water became too deep, and Jun began to swim, the rhododendrons cleared a path for her. She watched as the gently glided aside for her._

_Jun reached the shore of the tree, pulling herself up she looked for the turtle. It was no where to be seen. Jun looked up at the tree, she had never seen such a tree before. It looked like it reached the sky. She walked carefully to the tree and touched its bark. Jun felt its life force run through her. It wasn't an ordinary tree, it was something else. Hearing steps Jun quickly withdrew her hand._

_They weren't steps but the sound of hoofs._

_Soon a creature of light stood before her, it was a stag*. It was the most majestic creature she had ever seen, it was taller than her and carried itself with pride._

_It was emanating light, its skin was light. The antlers were also of light with golden details, like its eyes. They were purest golden colour of light she had ever seen._

_The whole forest became silent, waiting and watching the creature in awe._

_Jun remembered her father telling of such a creature, but if it were. Then the tree. Jun finally realised what it was she stood in front of, it was the tree of life. She stepped back immediately, she had touched it. No one was supposed to touch it. The stag was the guardian, and much more. She saw it approach her, Jun feared what would happen. She had violated an unwritten law, she had sullied the tree._

_The stag in front of her, lowering its head it let her touch its head. It turned its head in her soft hands. Letting her pet it. Jun stroked it, and for each time she touched it she felt herself change. Something within her was changing._

_A new path of red rhododendrons was forming, the stag lifted its head and looked towards it. Jun understood what it demanded._

_Jun walked carefully towards the path, the rhododendrons carried her and kept her afloat from the water. She walked into another clearing, it held a different tree. It was surrounded by green grass, not water. Jun walked slowly towards it, she felt eyes were observing her. Thousands of eyes._

_She was no longer free, their association had become handcuffs._

_Jun easily identified the cherry*tree, but why did blossom before the leaves? She touched it but it only became worse. The bark cracked under her touch as more flowers sprang. The same screeching roars cut through the air. Jun looked up immediately, she saw monkeys*, dozens of them stepping into the light. They screamed louder and louder, as they neared her. Red* and white* rhododendrons sprang from where they had touched the earth. Their eyes contained malice._

_Much like the malice she had seen in his eyes._

_Her presence was a calamity for them, they could't thrive in her presence. So they would exercise her by any means. Jun moved carefully, understanding that they only wanted to harm her. She wasn't one of them, she would understand their cause. She would never join._

_Jun ran, she ran as quickly her feet could carry her. Rain started to pour down on her, taking steps became more difficult and she only became more determined. She saw the stag, and the sounds of the monkeys died. Their threatening steps no longer existed._

_Jun fell at its hoofs, tears streaming down her face. She had failed. She could't save him. He was lost because of her. The rain* pounded against her body. The stag lowered its head, and she felt it lick her tears away. It nudged her head upwards, looking to the sky Jun saw the sun break with the dark sky. It was dawn, she had been wrong._

_The rain fragmented the light, she had never seen so many colours. Violet, orange, blue, red, green, purple and the brightest of them all white._

_Jun saw the many colours, they all came from the light. They were reflection of light. Light was not only the vanquishing of evil, it was much more. It was hope, humility, love, justice and every emotion humanity possessed._

_A smile formed on Jun's lips, she understood it, her burden was not as heavy to carry anymore. The red rhododendrons turned white*._

_She had received her salvation._

Jun woke up from the dream with a deep breath, she had never experienced anything like it before. She turned in the and felt the warm strokes of light across her body. She felt changed, Jun placed her hand on her stomach. Nothing had changed, the child hand't grown supernaturally overnight.

There was no fire, no death and no fear.

Jun was left with hope for tomorrow, for her child.

**.**

Kazuya heard his footsteps approach. He stood in anticipation waiting to finally lay his eyes on his father. There he stood in front of him, more scars but not much different.

"So you managed to find your way out of that woman's skirt?" Heihachi asked his son, of course the first thing to come out of his mouth would be an attack. Kazuya looked at Heihachi not responding, he had learned long ago not to give into his words. They carried no meaning, they only exposed Heihachi. Showing how weak he was to turn to such cheap tricks. Heihachi wanted him to respond, to reveal himself. Anger him so he may act irrationally, to humiliate him again and chain him to the bonds that Kazuya himself had broken.

Kazuya took his stance, ready to fight him for the last time.

Heihachi observed his son, there was something different about him. He didn't have the same look in his eyes, as when they last met each other in combat. He had changed.

This time Kazuya would kill him.

**.**

He had failed himself, the justice he had wanted would never be his. Injustice reigned. He wanted justice for the times he had hurt him, the humiliation, the despair, the desperation, the loneliness and pain he had struck in his life. Kazuya would never stand above his grave. He had wanted this chapter to end.

Now he had lost everything he had ever achieved. Everything lost to an old man, he should have killed him while he slept peacefully.

_'Seems like you lose in the end Kazuya'_ it spoke to him _'Maybe you should have eloped with that pathetic woman, you would have been a coward but alive'_ it taunted him. It had given him much advice over time. It was only natural that it would relish over his downfall, for now he was at his mercy. It had warned him against her, and now Kazuya had wasted the only chance he had against his father. Kazuya was dying at his feet, as the pathetic creature he had become. Defeated by an old man, who should be dying slowly in a nursing home.

_'Don't worry, I'll take good care of your child...'_ it spoke to him before its voice faded. He should have known that she would be his next victim. He cursed himself for being so foolish, she was strong maybe she could ward it off. Kazuya felt his father lift him from the ground. He couldn't fight, he was tired. He cursed the creature for leaving him at his weakest time, Kazuya realised that was why it tried to separate them. Alone they were weak against it. He had fallen for its play, it had driven him against her. Kazuya's paranoia, doubt and hatred, how much had originated from himself? It seemed to Kazuya in his dying moments that he was only a pawn to be played by others, first his father, then the demon and then her. Kazuya would remember her gently touch guiding him.

It would take his child as its own.

**.**

Jun sat in her garden, it felt odd thinking it was hers now. It had been theirs. Nothing would change for the many years to come. She felt at peace with herself knowing that she would lead a boring life. There was comfort to gain from a structured and repetitive life, one she had never learnt to appreciate until now. Jun clutched her cardigan around her form, the cold was starting to spread in the air. She saw the sun send the last warm rays of gold over the tree tops, they turned to dark oranges and then came the purples.

**.**

"Have you searched her apartment?" Heihachi asked, sitting by his table again. Where he belonged.

"Yes sir, it was abandoned. It turns out that she gave her landlord a notice for about a month ago. All the furniture has been left behind and other appliances. The only things that were taken were her personal belongings" the male employee spoke, not looking at the papers in his hand.

"Her profiling" he demanded from another employee in the room.

"She is form Yakushima, her parents and heritage don't bear any significance. She moved to Tokyo in her late teens. She worked for the WWWC an animal rights group, as a reporter and investigator. She has been noted for work there. Recent activities show that she has consulted a doctor recently, but all the files are missing. Every information the doctor ever held on her is missing. We investigated it, and it seems to have been done by employee access" Heihachi didn't speak as a thoughtful mine took over, how hard could it be to trace a woman? He looked at a third employee hoping for better results.

"They seemed to have been moved," the female continued "She has changed doctors, to somewhere in Yakushima" she finished, he looked at her. Finally some results, they weren't completely useless Heihachi thought to himself.

"Her workplace won't speak with us, but from what I could gather it now seems to be her former workplace. We found our way to their database, and there seems to be no files on her person. Except the work she has performed" the second female spoke as the other had finished, placing some papers on his table showing the process and different approaches and the information gathered.

"Sir, if I am to speak from what I have heard today, it would seem that she has simply moved location" she continued to speak after having placed the papers on the table, she stopped talking as she observed her superior.

It seemed to Heihachi that even beyond the grave, Kazuya could still manage to make his life difficult. What was he trying to protect? Was he even trying to protect her? Enthralled to such a degree by a woman.

"May I ask when you saw this female?" one female employee in the room dared to speak, all of them waited in anticipation for the answer. They had more than once exchanged glances that expressed their worry, they thought he had imagined her. That she was nothing but a figment of his imagination. A new enemy to chase now that his son was dead. Heihachi lifted his head slowly, the gaze he sent his employee assured her to not question him again.

"Sir, I don't completely understand the importance of this female" another spoke, daring to speak his mind on what he thought to be a crazy obsession.

"Cease the investigations. We have other projects to attend" he spoke and saw the three of them leave. He had more important things to direct his attention at. His son had apparently proven to be too much for her, and disappointed her, Heihachi suspected. Women had no place in their world. Mishima men craved other objects, power and sensations that women couldn't grant them. They were only temporary satisfaction, his son should have learned that now.

What threat could one woman be to a Mishima as himself?

**…**

* * *

**SYMBOLS OF THE DREAM**

**Red**: Passion, joy, ferocity, bloodlust

**Orange**: love, happiness

**Gold**: the splendour of enlightenment

**Green**: hope, gladness, ambivalent as both life and death in the vernal green of life and the livid green of death, compounded of blue and yellow, heaven and earth combined, green forms the mystic colour

**Crane**: messenger of gods, the ability to enter into higher states of consciousness

**Cedar** tree: incorruptibility, nobility

**Pine** tree: vitality, strength of character, straightness

**Water**: is the source of all potentialities in existence, liquid counterpart of light

**Lake**: receptive wisdom, deep waters e.g. seas, lakes, wells, are associated with the realm of the dead or are the abode of supernatural beings and closely connected with the great mother

**Jomon Sugi**: cryptomeri tree a branch of the cypress family, it is supposedly the oldest tree in Yakushima, here it plays the role of the Tree Of Life

**Cypress** tree: Chinese meaning; happiness, grace and death

**Red** Rhododendrons: the red colour signifies passion and the great mother

**Turtle**: longevity, Chinese meaning = attribute of the god of examination

**Crossing** **water**: to change from one ontological state, or plane, to another

**Stag**: Renewal, is often associated with the Tree Of Life, represents the conflict of opposites, creation, attribute for gods of longevity, melancholy

**Cherry** tree: If the tree bears flowers before its leaves, it represents man born naked into the world, without possession just as it will leave the earth

**Monkey**: baser instinct, Buddhist meaning; greedy and grasping

**White** & **RED** flowers: denotes death

**Rain**: Divine blessing, purification, spiritual revelation

**Purple**: truth, justice

**Blue**: intellect, revelation,

**Violet**: humility, sorrow

**White**: simplicity, transcendent perfection

**White** **Rhododendrons**: purity, innocence

* * *

**This is the last of the chapters, apart from the epilogue. It will be uploaded Late Monday.**

**If there are any questions you want answered, I would suggest to ask them now. Then I might answer them in the epilogue otherwise you can always PM me, I will gladly reply.**

**Until Late Monday, leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	24. Epilogue

**Author's Note**

First of all I would like to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter

**Dr,AD-2-0-9LUV:** First off, I apologize for not writing your username correctly. The editing for some odd reason removes it when I write it correctly. Thank you, hearing that a chapter I wrote made people cry is a GREAT compliment!  
**NatsuXIII**: Yeah, it's sad but I find it the most realistic. Sad endings make for the best romantic stories, if you ask me! I love a well written heart break!  
About Kazuya's interest in the child, for me it would border between a great experiment and a genuine curiosity maybe even with a little dash of love. But first and foremost I imagine him to be a practical man above anything.  
**ObviouslyTima: **Thank you, I've worked on these chapters for about a half year. Never ready to post them, but I finally decided to do it.  
It's sad that they become strangers, but it was bound to happen in this story. They never really knew what the other desired so deeply, and their fundamental ideas clashed so greatly!

**I would like to thank everyone who reviewed my story, your words mean more to me than what you can possibly imagine and I feel so flattered.  
**191026, Sal, Leon Shiki, gamefangurl, BMC, tekkenfan, xenocanaan, ObviouslyTima, CoF666, Ciel De'Luna, Beth, kumagers54, Dale, tarantinoluver92, 13kuroineko, benten17, Carmencita, no name, Underclass Kid, AniDenDav, tekken rules, Dr,AD-2-0-9LUV, anon, NatsuXIII.

**I would also like to thank everyone who added this story on their favorites list! I feel so honored to be on it!  
**191026, pokemonnarutofreako, hanarumitryogi, xenocanaan, straightedgelover, NaruHinaFanboy, reckless14, PoyaBaby, xFlipJamsx, The 666th necrophiliac, kumagers54, tati0055, muso 22, KazuyaLoverProduction, AniDenDav, prilly55, Dr,AD-2-0-9LUV

**It has been an honor to write for you**  
**ascho**

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**Epilogue**

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Jun turned to her other side as she slept, but slowly was slipping back into her consciousness. She had just laid down in her bed and already she couldn't sleep. She could hear the whistling of the wind carried to her window. It was as it used to be in Yakushima.

Everything was peaceful.

Jun had avoided the radio and TV all day, she hand't gathered the courage yet. She didn't know if she ever would gather her courage to find out. It was more consoling not to know at all. He could be alive, living his life freely away from her at least he would still be alive.

He was nothing but a memory in her life no matter the outcome, it seemed wronged.

J_un twitched her eyes as she felt the bright light on her face. It couldn't be morning already, she wanted to pull her covers over her head to escape. She felt a hand trace its way up her thigh and over her stomach. Her breath escaped her lips quickly, she knew it too well._

_"You recognise me" he spoke softly into her ear, she knew his touch. She felt his chest touch her back as he took a slow and long breath. She felt his warm breath leave him, as it gently touched her neck._

_"No one has hands like yours" Jun replied softly not wanting to ruin the morning, she didn't want to see him. If she saw him, she feared he would dissolve in her arms. She felt his hand on her shoulder, as he slowly pushed her to face him. Jun's eyes finally fell upon his beautiful face, she felt tears come to her eyes. He stopped them from escaping, as he kissed her lips tenderly._

_Jun realised to herself how much he had come to mean to her. He had become every breath she took. Every thought, every word. She felt his effect on her. He had become a permanent resident in her mind. Every joy and terror. Every whisper. Like a wind rustling in the branches, he would stay in her mind. She would never let him go._

_He had become love._

_She saw the look in his eyes change as if he had read her every thought. He had discovered her greatest secret. The love she had kept unspoken in her heart. Her heart was a treasure chest to him, too precious to ever be opened from fear that it might break._

_"Don't leave me..." She finally spoke the words she had never been able to say to him. The words that came too late now, words that didn't mean anything. Words that could have changed everything._

_"I can't stay" Kazuya answered her in a low voice, Jun knew she would never see him again._

_The tears streamed down her cheeks as he kissed them away, he had placed his one hand on her cheek comforting her the best he could. He turned her face up as he finally kissed her lips, for what they knew would be the last time. She felt his cold lips fill her with the familiar warmth, she placed her hand on his and she filled all her senses with him. Never wanting to forget this moment. The moment that would be their last. She felt him slip something heavy into her hands. He parted his lips from hers, he looked into her eyes observing her as her eyes fell on the object in her hand. She looked up at him questioningly._

_"I want you to have it" he whispered to her._

_"How can you do this to me!" she spoke angered by his behaviour "How can you betray me like this?" she asked him what she hand't dared to before._

_He didn't speak any words of solace._

_Kazuya felt like a figment of her imagination. Something she had tricked her mind into believing. He only smiled, what little he could force his lips upwards._

_He had ruined her life._

Jun woke up startled, she jumped from her bed. Opening every drawer and closet, tearing her clothes out that she had brought home from Tokyo. She searched their pockets but found nothing. Her search became more desperate, but the result didn't waver.

She walked to the room across the hall from hers, where he had slept. She entered it carefully, as if his entity was lingering in the room and she did not wish to interrupt it.

She opened every drawer and the cupboard. It was empty. Tears were pressing in her eyes. She laid down on the bed, his scent surrounded her. For a moment he was alive again. Nothing had gone wrong.

She felt something under her pillow. She slid her hand carefully under the pillow, feeling for what it was. It could just as well be a crease. Jun felt something cold against her skin. Pulling it out, she hoped it would be something else, anything else.

Holding it out in the dark, she felt the cold object in her hand. It glittered in the dark. She knew instantly what it was, the golden rectangular locket. Kazuya had decided long ago, he had left his humanity in her hands.

She had decided not to fight it, she hadn't given up she gave in to her feelings, her desires and her lust. Kazuya did the same, even when he knew it wouldn't last. A little time of his life, he had devoted to her. He had held her in his arms in the dark, when only her dark thoughts danced around her.

They both knew it wouldn't last, they had been doomed from the beginning. Everything they had done spoke differently, their actions betrayed them. They had found someone who understood them. Their quarrels had been filled with anger, disappointment, broken trust and passion. He had unknowingly bestowed her with something far greater. Love.

His touch had been addictive, his soft whispered words became her preferred drug. He was like no other man. He had been a stranger, but it was a lie. He was the only one. There was nothing like the passion he exuded, the love that poured from him. She couldn't come down from the new highs.

She had to let him go, or he would never have forgiven her.

Jun hoped he knew how much she had loved him, how quickly she had come to care for him. No matter how evil others judged him to be, or how malicious he thought he was himself. He was much more than that. Far greater. Jun regretted never having spoken her thoughts, not letting him know how he had changed her. That nothing was lost. Jun opened the chain and closed it around her neck. She opened the locket and saw a picture of a child and its mother. Tears pressed in her eye. They pushed their way down her cheeks, the warm drops falling on the covers. She screamed bitterly into the pillow, her body shaking as she clutched her hand around the locket. She screamed again, her tears falling on the pillow, uncontrollable.

He wouldn't return to her, he was dead. Her love was dead.

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**Until next time!**


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